WASHINGTON - The U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills. The initiative will take place August 18 through October 31, which includes the month-long commemoration of Respect Life Month observed each October by the Catholic Church in the United States.
“Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the USCCB, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in a joint invitation announcing the initiative:
Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother. Now with easier access
to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks.
The Food and Drug Administration has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by
allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telehealth appointments and sold both at
neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb.
This leaves women vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical
supervision. It also sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or
human traffickers.
In addition to invoking the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life (English/en español), participants can learn about the danger of abortion pills which have become accessible through telehealth appointments and at pharmacies, leading to increased risks to women, and the abortion rate tragically climbing. Participants of the initiative are encouraged to share information about the dangers of abortion pills, and sign up to send messages to pharmacies, distributors, and pharmaceutical companies at Respect Life Prayer and Action.
Thank you for your prayers and actions to protect innocent children and their vulnerable
mothers from the evil of abortion. St. Joseph, Defender of Life, pray for us!
A Prayer to St. Joseph, Defender of Life
Dearest St. Joseph, at the word of an angel, you lovingly took Mary into your home.
As God’s humble servant, you guided the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem, welcomed
Jesus as your own son in the shelter of a manger, and fled far from your homeland for the
safety of both Mother and Child. We praise God that as their faithful protector, you never
hesitated to sacrifice for those entrusted to you. May your example inspire us also to
welcome, cherish, and safeguard God’s most precious gift of life. Help us to faithfully
commit ourselves to the service and defense of human life — especially where it is vulnerable
or threatened. Obtain for us the grace to do the will of God in all things. Amen.
Posted August 20, 2026 at 1:39 pm