It’s National Catholic Schools Week, and this year’s theme, “United in Faith and Community,” highlights the value of the Catholic school as an educational community model for students, families, communities, the church, and our nation. Indeed, there are many reasons to celebrate Catholic education in the United States, from positive enrollment trends to superior academic achievement and advancement.
Amid the good news, however, there’s a surprising area where Catholic schools are missing the mark. They are failing to provide students with pro-life intellectual formation, specifically when it comes to the science classroom. This is not only unexpected but concerning. After all, the Catholic Church is officially committed to protecting and promoting human life and dignity “from conception.” It’s a “preeminent priority” and therefore should be one of the most vital metrics of any Catholic institution.
The alarming truth is that science education standards in the thousands of Catholic schools across the country are glossing over the scientific reality that a new human life begins at the start of the biological process of fertilization, or what most Catholics understand as “conception.” It’s a fact that students may hear in their theological studies (regarding pro-life issues), but not in the science classroom, which is bizarre because the humanity of a human embryo or fetus isn’t a theological proposition. It’s science. It belongs in life science and biology lessons, which is precisely where Catholic school students are not encountering it.
Worse, in some Catholic schools, students are being introduced to the erroneous idea that
