When defending the Catholic Church's pro-life views, St. John Paul II turned to science to explain why the Church is against abortion.
He detailed the science behind the Church's view in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae.
St. John Paul II is referring to the reality that when fertilization occurs, something happens and a new living organism is created. This organism is different from the father or mother and is entirely new, containing all the instructions that will provide for its growth and maturation.
While some philosophers and scientists may disagree about the precise moment of the beginning of human life, St. John Paul II points out that even the possibility that human life begins at conception should make us pause and consider what we are doing with abortion.
If science is not settled on the precise beginning of human life, St. John Paul II urges us to use caution anyway and not rush to kill another human being.
