The following blog posts were originally written as my input to a series of articles once published in a now defunct national magazine. Later, I posted them to my private blog for review. They are posted in 3 parts. To make the most sense, read them in chronological order.


The Problem with the Pro-Life Movement in America, Part One

What was the pro-life movement in the US?
Once upon a time, the pro-life movement was primarily made up of Catholics who, following the teachings of the Church, determined that euthanasia, the death penalty and unjust war violated the right-to-life and dignity and the sacredness of human life. It was not far-fetched for those of us working for pro-life movement to consider some of the systemic causes for these injustices against the dignity of human life. Some of those causes were seen to be poverty, labor problems, racism, educational disparity and international tensions due to nationalistic goals. After Roe v. Wade, abortion was added to the list. Thinking Catholics, notably our Popes and other theologians had determined that systemic causes were leading society to embrace a culture of utilitarianism and death. The United States was squarely in the sights of the Church as a battleground for these issues.

In the case of euthanasia, society was pushing for cost containment of health care (much like today). To many, allowing someone to languish in a persistent vegetative state, while receiving continuous and sometimes costly health care, seemed to be a waste of resources. The financial and emotional hardship on families, primary caregivers and society, seemed to justify the premature ending of a person’s life. Debates erupted about quality of life—when to prolong it and when to cut it short. In the pro-life movement, there were those on both sides of the issue as well. The Catholic Church finally gave some guidelines for us to work within. We were encouraged to sign up for health care directives, pen medical power of attorneys, and make our own end-of-life decisions, so that family and the system did not have to. Assisted suicide was obviously out; while specifics about under what circumstances/diagnosis, one did not want to prolong their own life was in. Now, assisted suicide is back and enshrined in the laws of some States.

The death penalty has long been the choice of even advanced societies to deal with habitual criminals. Unfortunately, it too violates the dignity of human life. It has not been proven to be a deterrent nor a very satisfying revenge. Many of us in the pro-life movement, with the Catholic Church’s endorsement, protested against its use. The Church told us it was not justifiable in a society where dangerous criminals can be successfully kept from society via prison terms. For a while, many States had moratoriums due to the inhumane methods used, or the potential for innocent victims of this form of State sponsored murder. However, once again, utility: the expense of lifetime prison terms and the cost of appeals soon outweighed compassion and knowledge. The utilitarian, culture of death marches on.

Pacifists of all generations had already determined that war is not the answer to any of our political problems. It was, however, a knee jerk reaction to any perceived international injustice. Again, the Catholic Church helped those of us in the pro-life movement to discuss, debate and form guidelines for Just War. Any war that did not comply with Just War Theory, was easy to identify as unjust and worthy of our protest. Our political leaders rarely listened to us right away, but eventually, public opinion would sway these leaders to abandon unjust wars. Unfortunately, many times they did not heed our calls until much damage had been done and more hatred engendered—leading to a less stable and more dangerous world.

Then, when I was in high school, along came legalized abortion. This “choice” was another utilitarian method of dealing with an unwanted or unintended pregnancy. Why the pregnancy was unwanted or unexpected is part of the justification for the “choice” of procuring an abortion. Economic desperation, stigma, financial and relational justifications abound. Legalized abortion on demand has engendered one of the greatest debates of my lifetime. Interestingly, the debate not only rages between anti-abortion and pro-choice camps, it also rages within the broader pro-life camp itself and threatens to derail the entire premise of the pro-life movement: the declaration that all human life is sacred. Not just the innocent (babies) but also the lives of those convicted of crimes, or caught up in wars, or considered too old or lacking in quality of life.

This lack of consistent right-to-life ethic began the stress fracturing of the pro-life movement which I believe began with the inclusion of Protestant Evangelical Christians as partners in the fight against abortion. This initial hairline with the additional pressure from the “new pro-lifers’ from the Protestant, Evangelical churches to include such topics as gay rights as additional pro-life agenda items and to jettison other traditional pro-life issues such as opposition to the death penalty and unjust wars and the fracture is complete. The rationale for excluding these issues is: death penalty victims are not innocent (or are they in some cases?) and war is necessary to protect our national interests even when the Catholic Church is against it. The once unified pro-life coalition has been effectively silenced.

In the next installment I will discuss the strategies and compromises that led to the division and demise of the movement.