The Catholic Church believes that every person is created in the “image of God.” We are made in the image of a community of persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our God-given human rights develop and thrive in community.

Our human dignity is both personal and social. We need one another to grow, to prosper and to reach our full potential.

This basic teaching is not alien to Americans. Our Declaration of Independence pronounces: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The declaration goes on to acknowledge that “to secure these rights, Governments are instituted.”

Rights must be protected, upheld, and enabled not only in Minnesota, or even just the United States, but worldwide. Because God created mankind to live free and worship Him, we must help ensure every person is given the freedom to fulfill this core human right.

"In the name of the common good, public authorities are bound to respect the fundamental and inalienable rights of the human person."- Catechism 1907