The Catholic Bishop of Saskatoon in Canada has issued a strong condemnation of abortion, describing it as resulting in the killing of unborn children and contributing to a broader cultural devaluation of human life.
In a pastoral message released January 24 for Reverence for Life Sunday—observed Jan. 25 in the Diocese of Saskatoon—Bishop Mark Hagemoen highlighted the ongoing impact of the 1988 Supreme Court of Canada decision in the Morgentaler case, which struck down restrictions on abortion and left in place abortions up to birth for any reason.
“Canada continues to deal with the tragic repercussions of the removal of abortion from the Criminal Code,” Hagemoen wrote. “We now mark the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the Morgentaler case on January 28, 1988, which removed all remaining restrictions on abortion in Canada. Unfortunately applauded by many in our society, this moment in our nation’s history holds within it the tragic reality of millions of lost lives.”
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The bishop explicitly referred to abortion as involving the direct killing of the unborn.
“Victims of abortion include the unborn children who are killed, but also the mothers, fathers and families left wounded after an abortion,” he stated. “The community – indeed our nation – are also weakened and damaged as the weakest and most vulnerable among us are not valued and protected.”
Hagemoen framed the issue within a larger pattern of “sins against human life,” linking it to an “insensitive & utilitarian culture” and a “throwaway culture” that endangers the vulnerable, including the unborn.
He quoted Pope Francis to reinforce the call for protection: “I ask for a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.”
The message coincides with the annual Day of Prayer for Reverence for Life, timed near the Morgentaler anniversary to encourage prayer, reflection, and discussion on the sanctity of life from conception.
Hagemoen invoked Scripture, including Jeremiah 1:5—”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart”—to affirm life’s sacred value from the earliest stages.
The bishop’s statement also addressed related concerns such as medical assistance in dying and broader societal attitudes toward the elderly, sick, and handicapped, urging Catholics to recommit to protecting all human life.
Hagemoen concluded with a call to restore a “heart” to society damaged by the loss of unborn lives and included a prayer affirming the sacredness of human life “from conception to its natural end.”
