When Bishop Oscar Romero was appointed archbishop of El Salvador in 1977, the political elites were thrilled. Three thousand people were murdered each day in El Salvador, but the conservative bishops who elected Archbishop Romero as well as the politicos and the wealthy saw him as a quiet academic, a timid man who would not interfere with their efforts to crush attempts for reform among the poor. In fact, when Romero was installed as archbishop, his homily reassured them of their choice by indicating that the church should be neutral and “keep to the center, watchfully, in the traditional way. …”

Three weeks later, Romero’s position of neutrality changed when his good friend, Father Rutilio Grande, a Jesuit priest who preached against the murders and human rights abuses, exploitation and other injustices in El Salvador, was murdered. Romero recognized that in the face of human rights abuses, there is no neutral. It was his duty, both as a Catholic and as a human being to speak against the human rights abuses and be a voice for the most vulnerable in their society.

Romero’s example is particularly relevant to a critical human rights issue that has once again been thrust to the forefront of our national consciousness as the presidential election nears — the human rights of the unborn. Some have framed the rights of the unborn as a Catholic or religious issue. As Romero exemplified through his words and actions, the protection of human rights is neither. It is a moral issue.

It is certain that Catholics and others are compelled to speak for the rights of the unborn, but that does not mean that particular religious beliefs are being forced upon others in our “pluralistic society” as Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden suggested on “Meet the Press” this month.

Some say unborn children cannot have legal rights because they have not yet been born. They are therefore undeserving of human rights. Legal rights granted by a state and human rights are two very different things. Human rights are not earned or granted. Each individual possesses human rights, merely by virtue of being human. Science has proved beyond a doubt that unborn children are human beings.

Human beings are not only entitled to human rights such as political and religious freedom, and socioeconomic rights such as housing, food and health care, but they also have freedoms from things. Human beings should be free from oppression, free from torture and free from being killed. These principles were agreed upon in the 1949 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The problem is that children, especially the unborn, are the weakest members of our society and have the potential to be the most abused.

The earliest research on children’s rights dates from the first century A.D. In early Roman times, children were many times seen not as gifts but, immediately after birth, abandoned in the street either to die, be devoured by animals, or sold as slaves. While some think that our society has advanced since then, the fact that presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama consistently opposed Illinois legislation that would have defined any aborted fetus that showed signs of life as a “born alive infant” entitled to legal protection shows we still have a long way to go.

In stark contrast, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin gave birth to a son with Down syndrome, whom she referred to as a gift, in an age when each year in the United States between 84 percent and 91 percent of unborn children with Down syndrome are aborted. In a nation where we believe deeply in the principle that “all men are created equal,” it is a tragic affront to the human race that we abort children whom we deem to have less value than the rest of society.

A society of love, a culture of life, begins with the knowledge and understanding that every life, from its inception, is precious and sacred.

Once we embrace a culture of love, we learn that it does not negate the rights or privileges that we as Americans hold dear. We can work passionately and successfully for equal rights for women without aborting more than 700 babies a year in Lancaster County.

Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980, for fighting for the human rights of the most vulnerable. It is imperative that regardless of religious or political affiliation, we follow his example and find a way to create a culture of love that protects the human rights of even our weakest and smallest citizens.

Jennifer Gutierrez is a strategic communications consultant specializing in work with Nebraska’s Hispanic market.