Longtime anti-euthanasia activists awarded USCCB’s ‘People of Life’ award posthumously

From left to right: Daniel Marker, Susan Young, Bishop Chad W. Zielinski of New Ulm, Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Judy Haag, and Valerie Washington. / Credit: United States Catholic Conference of Bishops

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA).

Longtime anti-euthanasia activists Rita and Mike Marker were honored Aug. 11 at the 2025 “People of Life” awards by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities during the Diocesan Pro-Life Leadership Conference in Arlington, Virginia. 

The awards recognize Catholics who have answered St. John Paul II’s call in Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”) by dedicating themselves to promoting the dignity of the human person and taking part in pro-life activities.

The Markers established the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force — later renamed the Patients Rights Council — in the early 1980s. Rita served as the executive director of the organization and in her role wrote the 1995 book “Deadly Compassion: The Death of Ann Humphry and the Truth About Euthanasia” about the high-profile suicide of an euthanasia advocate whom Rita came to embrace as a friend. 

Mike largely took charge of the organization’s operations. Rita traveled internationally and domestically to speak out against euthanasia and assisted suicide and frequently appeared on radio and news programs. Realizing the importance of legal expertise in advocating against assisted suicide, she also obtained a law degree while raising a family and used it to analyze legislation and develop strategies to oppose assisted-suicide laws.

The Catholic couple were married for six decades and were appointed to the Vatican’s Pontifical Council on the Family by St. John Paul II. Mike died in 2021 and Rita died in 2023. 

About 100 diocesan Catholic figures and guests attended this year’s awards dinner, including Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia. Two other pro-life advocates were also honored at the event: Valerie Washington and Judy Haag. 

Washington has led the National Black Catholic Congress organization as its executive director for the past 25 years. During her time with the organization, she has shaped its programs, has nurtured partnerships that have strengthened the Church’s commitment to justice and evangelization, and has taken a prominent role in fostering a culture of life within the Black Catholic community. 

For the past 30 years, Haag has been a long-term care nurse and pro-life advocate — serving as co-chair to her local 40 Days for Life campaign, leading her parish in commemorating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and facilitating participation in the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life March for Life. She also served as chairperson of the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (NUDCCW) Reverence for Life Committee for several years. Here she assisted in public education and advocacy on abortion and was named the NUDCCW “Woman of the Year” in 2017.

This year’s recipients join 43 other pro-life advocates who have received this award since it was established in 2007 by the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.