From Womb to Tomb: How Respect Life Denver Serves the Vulnerable at Every Stage

Together with the new Catholic End-of-Life Network, Respect Life Denver is working to defend the dignity of every human life — from the first heartbeat to the final breath.

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Respect Life Denver, a ministry of Catholic Charities, is on a mission to help transform Colorado into a sanctuary where every human being is valued and protected at every stage of life.

While that mission begins with the unborn, the most vulnerable among us, it does not end there. Respect for life is a fundamental principle that continues throughout the entire human journey, and Respect Life Denver is committed to honoring the dignity of every human person at every moment.

Together with the recently formed End-of-Life Network, a local initiative dedicated to upholding human dignity in life’s final moments, Respect Life Denver aims to defend life from womb to tomb, as the familiar phrase goes. Without defending life in the womb, there is no life to protect. But if care stops there, the mission is incomplete. Every person — whether young and strong, weighed down by illness, or nearing their final breath — deserves to be seen, loved and accompanied in their God-given dignity.

Emma Ramirez, director of Respect Life Denver, experienced this truth while serving as a missionary with Christ in the City, a local Catholic nonprofit that serves the homeless in Denver and Philadelphia. In 2017, she befriended a 73-year-old man named Albert Lee, affectionately known as Al, whom she met sitting on a stoop outside his apartment near Colfax and Grant.

Originally from New Orleans, Al loved gumbo, crawfish and Mardi Gras. He also had a fondness for McDonald’s pancakes and vanilla ice cream cones. Over time, Ramirez grew close to him, visiting regularly and sharing countless conversations.

By the fall of 2019, Al began to suffer from memory problems and declining health, which led him to move into a nursing facility for round-the-clock care. Ramirez continued to visit, often bringing him his favorite treats: McCafé coffee with 12 sugars or a slice of chocolate cake.

“As his health declined, he would often ask others where I was and if I was safe,” Ramirez recalled. “Whenever I walked in, he would breathe a sigh of relief, knowing I wasn’t lost.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic made visits difficult, Ramirez kept in touch by phone. In May 2020, Al died from complications related to his illness.

For much of his life, Al suffered what St. Teresa of Calcutta called the “poverty of loneliness.” Yet, through Christ in the City missionaries, and later through his friendship with Ramirez, he came to know that he was not alone.

“When he passed away, I prayed he knew how much he was loved and the impact he had on those around him,” Ramirez said. “It was a great privilege to walk with him at the end of his life.”

Stories like Al’s reveal why dying with real dignity is such an essential part of the pro-life mission. In a culture that often equates dignity with independence, productivity or the absence of suffering, illness and aging are sometimes seen as burdens. The Catholic vision, however, proclaims something different: human dignity is never lost. It is rooted in the unchanging truth that every person is made in the image and likeness of God.

“To affirm true dignity at the end of life means resisting the false mercy of euthanasia and assisted suicide,” Ramirez said. “These practices end lives rather than honor them.”

Through the Catholic End-of-Life Network, Respect Life Denver hopes to ensure that those approaching death are never abandoned, but instead receive reverence, care and spiritual support. This includes access to the sacraments, pastoral accompaniment and resources for families navigating difficult decisions.

In the Catholic sense, dying with dignity is not about hastening death. It is about surrounding the person with compassion, providing physical and spiritual care, and entrusting each life to God’s timing.

The way we honor life at its end testifies to the sacredness of every human life — every moment — from the first heartbeat to the final breath.