Vatican praises Supreme Court’s abortion decision, says being pro-life means supporting other issues as well

The Vatican has praised the U.S. Supreme Court for standing for life and reversing the country’s nearly 50-year stance on abortion.

In a pair of statements, the Vatican also encouraged activists to understand being “pro-life” means supporting other issues, including all those that threaten life, like guns, poverty and rising maternity mortality rates, Reuters reported.

“Being for life, always, for example, means being concerned if the mortality rates of women due to motherhood increase,” said Andrea Tornielli, the Vatican’s editorial director.

“Being for life, always, means asking how to help women welcome new life,” he wrote in a media editorial Saturday.

The editorial director also said those who identify as pro-life should challenge their own views on gun ownership and gun safety.

“Being for life, always, also means defending it against the threat of firearms, which unfortunately have become a leading cause of death of children and adolescents in the U.S.” he added.

Tornielli’s statement was preceded by a statement from the Vatican’s Academy for Life, which was posted the day before.

“The fact that a large country with a long democratic tradition has changed its position on this issue also challenges the whole world,” said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who heads the Pontifical Academy for Life, Reuters reported.

Paglia described the Supreme Court’s decision as a “powerful invitation to reflect” on the value of life in a society that “is losing passion for life.”

“By choosing life, our responsibility for the future of humanity is at stake,” Paglia added.

Pope Francis previously compared the act of abortion to “hiring a hit man” but has steered the Catholic Church to see pro-life as a larger issue than just abortion.