Hardly a day goes by in which we don’t hear the word “rights.” While rights are very important, something is wrong if we hardly ever hear the word that represents the other side of the coin: responsibility. Why is responsibility the flip-side of rights? Because my rights are your responsibility and your rights are my responsibility. The emphasis on rights over responsibility is likely evidence of selfishness in our society. This is because rights tend to be about how others treat me, while responsibility tends to be about how I treat others. October is Respect Life Month when we are reminded of one issue in which responsibility is most tragically thrown to the wind: the protection of unborn children. While it is good, true, and necessary to speak about unborn children’s right to life, perhaps what the world needs to hear even more right now is the message of our responsibility to protect the unborn. Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). In our world right now, the unborn are certainly among the least. They are the least not only because their lives are considered to be of little value, but also because they are the most defenseless – totally dependent on another for life. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said late last year, “The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.” And so, this issue is a preeminent issue because the right to life comes before and outweighs all other rights. After all, what good would any right to freedom or autonomy be if we aren’t alive to benefit from it? This issue is also preeminent because of the sheer number of abortions per year – about 850,000 in the US. That is almost four times the present Coronavirus death toll. As disciples of Jesus we can’t be indifferent to this problem. We can’t say, as some do, “I am personally opposed to abortion, but I don't want to impose my view on others.” This is not an option for a follower of Jesus because the protection of innocent life is our responsibility. What would we say to someone who said the same thing about slavery? May we all take responsibility for the protection of the most vulnerable because, as Jesus once warned, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 18:10).