Make the commitment to life your business

On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the most important case of this generation: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The dispute involves Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act, which protects preborn life after 15 weeks’ gestation. Remarkably, the case gives the Court its first opportunity in decades to overrule Roe v. Wade, which for 49 years has prohibited laws that safeguard our most vulnerable citizens.

As Catholics, it is easy to support innocent life in the womb. Life is the most fundamental human right, and the Church has spoken with great clarity on the importance of protecting pre-born life. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (CCC 2271).

As a legal matter, the Court’s decision is simple. Nothing in the text, structure, or history of the Constitution says anything about a mother’s right to take her child’s life. And when the Constitution is silent, issues are left to the people and the political process to resolve. The Court must stay neutral. Roe is anything but neutral. It was a power grab that created out of thin air a constitutional right to end life.

But as Catholic business leaders, things are more complex. The Church’s pro-life teachings ask far more of us than simply supporting and protecting unborn babies. Consider the following questions:

• Does your organization provide abortion coverage as an employee “health care” benefit?
• Do you own a company that engages in research that destroys human embryos?
• Have you imposed a mandate that requires employees to take a vaccine developed with human embryos?
• Does your company provide insurance coverage for euthanasia?
• Have you ensured that your organization provides benefits that incentivize and support pregnancies, or that disincentivize and discourage them?
• Do you provide services that are hostile to human life?
• Do any company activities provide support to the abortion industry?

These are important questions that implicate many kinds of company policies and strategic objectives. But if we are to not only hold pro-life views but also live the Church’s commitment to life in our business life, they are questions that deserve serious attention and consideration.

This column does not provide adequate space to dive deeply into how the Catholic Church’s teachings should inform how to run a business and treat customers and employees while respecting life. To start, consider A Catechism for Business: Tough Ethical Questions & Insights from Catholic Teaching by Andrew Abela and Joseph Capizzi. The book provides questions and answers to more than 100 challenging moral questions that Catholic business leaders face. It includes relevant quotations from many Church documents.

The book covers major business topics such as marketing, investment, and finance. But it also addresses social issues, including those implicating life. When the Church provides a definitive answer, the authors say so. And when the Church has not, the authors provide guidelines to assist your discernment. For example, if a company provides cleaning services to an abortion clinic, the book provides resources and comments to help discern whether that makes the owner complicit in performing abortions.

As business leaders, we must always strive to act according to the Church’s teachings. As we approach what could be the end of Roe, it has never been more important to enact policies that protect and respect life.

JOHN BURSCH owns Bursch Law PLLC and serves as vice president of appellate advocacy at Alliance Defending Freedom. He has argued 12 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and frequently represents companies and business owners exercising their religious faith in the public square. He is president of the Grand Rapids Chapter of Legatus.