As the 45th anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision and the annual March for Life in Washington approach this week, the Jesuit Conference of the United States and Canada issued an updated statement on abortion in the United States, “Protecting the Least Among Us.”

Describing abortion as a “key social evil” in the United States, the Jesuits say: “The most fundamental building block of a just social order is respect for human life. Until men and women individually and collectively make a profound commitment to the value and dignity of all human life, we will never find the true peace, justice and reconciliation God desires for us.”

In this revised and expanded statement on abortion—their first since 2003—the Jesuits describe the dignity of the human person as “the foundation of the Catholic moral tradition,” adding that another key insight of Catholic moral life is that “we are social beings and that solidarity matters.”

“The social acceptance of abortion is a profound moral failure on both counts,” the Jesuits say. “It undermines the claim that every life is infused with God-given dignity, and it often pretends such decisions can be relegated to individual choice without having negative consequences on society as a whole. Sacred Scripture, the witness of early Christianity, Catholic social teaching, and the magisterium consistently teach that we cannot in good conscience ignore this tragedy.”

Commenting on the revised statement, Timothy Kesicki, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the U.S., said, “St. Ignatius founded the Jesuits for the promotion of the faith and the progress of souls in the teachings of Christ. As Jesuits, we continue this mission, to accompany the child in the womb and the community into which each one of us has been born.”

Describing abortion as a “key social evil” in the United States, the Jesuits say: “The most fundamental building block of a just social order is respect for human life.”

In the new statement the Jesuits note that a regular criticism from abortion rights advocates “is the narrow focus of the pro-life movement on abortion to the exclusion of life issues such as the death penalty, economic justice, access to health care, or warfare,” a criticism they acknowledge as sometimes valid. The Jesuits say that “effective advocacy will not dismiss this challenge” but can offer “an opportunity to broaden the coalition of individuals interested in shaping our culture to one that respects human life in all its forms.”

The Jesuits argue: “We have the best chance of effecting change on abortion if our pro-life narrative is consistent and comprehensive.”

The Jesuits describe the institution of abortion “as part of the massive injustices in our society,” pointing to a “spirit of callous disregard for life shows itself in direct assaults on human life such as abortion and capital punishment.” “There are less direct but equally senseless ways we undermine life,” the Jesuits say, “through violence, racism, xenophobia, and the growing inequality of wealth and education. We also seek justice in ensuring that pregnant women and mothers have the resources they need to care for their children and live full lives.”

Citing the instruction of both St. John Paul II and Pope Francis, the Jesuits urge a deeper “accompaniment with women” in U.S. life and warn that the style and content of the current public debate on abortion “exposes us all to many deceptive messages.”

“Women may be promised the falsehood that abortion solves a problem. Society may be deceived into thinking that abortion is a choice women casually make,” they say. “We must not listen to the voice that promises scapegoats or easy solutions to complex problems,” the Jesuits add. “Instead, we must incline our ears to Christ who has gone before us—healing all forms of brokenness, preaching liberation from all forms of bondage, and calling the most unlikely characters to work alongside him.”

Noting how little public opinion has moved over the last decade on abortion, the Jesuits are concerned by “troubling signs” about future attitudes regarding the sacredness of life as technology and public mores change.

“Advances in genetic technology make it much easier to screen for disease and disability in utero,” they point out; advances that can be a great gift “if used prudently for treatment or preparing couples to care for their children once born.”

“Yet it is also creating a situation that verges on eugenics, wherein persons deemed less than perfect are eliminated before they are even born,” the Jesuits say. “It is also increasingly easy to access pharmaceuticals that act as abortifacients. We take these realities as evidence that we must give those committed to this work more tools for engagement.”