consistent life ethic
Book Review – Rehumanize: A Vision to Secure Human Rights for All
by Lois Kerschen If you want to understand the theory behind the Consistent Life Ethic (CLE) as well as how to practice it, Aimee Murphy’s book, Rehumanize: A Vision to Secure Human Rights for All, is a vital resource. Remarkably, she manages to explain CLE with clarity and simplicity. Its multiple references to philosophers,…
“Is One Life Issue More Important Than the Rest?”: A Question That Might Not Need an Answer
by John Whitehead Consistent Life Ethic activists generally have varying interpretations of the Ethic. Some take an absolutist stance on nonviolence, others allow exceptions to strict nonviolence. Some tend to specialize on working against a particular threat to life, others tend to work against multiple threats. Another difference among Consistent Life Ethic activists (which relates…
The Consistent Peace Ethic
by Rachel MacNair The Consistent Life Network names its e-newsletter Peace & Life Connections. We make a big point of covering peace issues as the same as life issues and life issues being the same as peace issues. We dislike the political red/blue divide that pits “peace” and “life” against each other in terms of…
Let us all agree on this one simple thing: It is not OK to kill people.
by Robert Randall (reprinted) It is not OK to kill people because you don’t like them. It is not OK to kill people because they don’t like you. It is not OK to kill people because they are different from you. It is not OK to kill people because of what they believe. Or…
Reflections from My Decades of Consistent Life Ethic Experience
by Fr. Jim Hewes In 1978, Frank Staropoli and I founded the Diocesan Human Life Commission, with our charter clearly being what was later called a “consistent life ethic” or a “seamless garment.” During those years, when we tried to reach out to pro-life groups, we ordinarily didn’t find the warmest reception because of our…
Specialization or Generalization? The Many Ways of Following the Consistent Life Ethic
by John Whitehead The Consistent Life Ethic (CLE) movement is very diverse. It includes people of different philosophical or partisan backgrounds, with different understandings of the CLE and different preferred activist strategies. One aspect of this diversity is varying approaches to specialization, that is, focusing on a particular life issue of the CLE. Some CLE…
Elections 2020: Three Consistent-Life Approaches
by Rachel MacNair The Consistent Life Network takes no stand on specific candidates. This is my own personal take on how people who support the consistent life ethic view the U.S. presidential election of November 3, 2020. Three Categories Category 1: Trump is Out of the Question; Biden is Bearable People in this category are…
The Early Christian Tradition
Remarks from Rob Arner at the Warminster March for Life, November 2, 2019, at the Warminster Planned Parenthood center where they do abortions. Slightly edited. It’s wonderful to be with you this afternoon for the first of what will hopefully be an annual event at this facility, until such…
Stewardship and the Consistent Life Ethic
by Tom Taylor Alarming reports about climate change and ecological damage along with John Whitehead’s recent blog post on climate change have led me to thinking about stewardship. The principle of stewardship, it seems to me, is inherent in the Consistent Life Ethic (CLE), has great value as a positive expression of CLE in practice,…
Rehumanize International – 6th Annual Conference
The 6th annual conference of our member group, Rehumanize International, happened October 18-20, 2019, in New Orleans. Consistent Life Network was a co-sponsor, and several of us attended. Sessions offered from CLN officers included: “Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress, Moral Injury, & the CLE” (Rachel MacNair) and “Apocalypse Never: Why We Must Reject Nuclear Weapons” (John Whitehead)….