Lord we pray:

* For women in a ‘persistent vegetative state’, that the courts would respect the right to life and basic needs of all patients, and make decisions that respect the dignity of their lives and the requests of family members for basic care, nutrition and hydration.

*  For families facing difficult decisions about end of life issues, that they will not be divided by the decisions they must make, but rather united in their love and commitment to care for their loved one.

*  For all who advocate for persons with disabilities, that they may persevere in their work to ensure the right to life for those who are unable to speak for themselves.

*  For health care providers to severely physically and mentally handicapped persons, that they may be strengthened to treat them with love and patience.

*    That we may not view severely handicapped persons as burdens to society, but rather as blessings and witnesses to the capacity of human beings to love regardless of the difficulty of the situation.

*   That in the spirit of Edith Stein, we may have the courage to educate ourselves and others on the dignity of all human lives.

Amen