Major Obstacle Removed!
We’ve marched and educated and advocated, and finally it’s happened, as of June 24, 2022: months shy of 50 years, the United States courts will now allow citizens to influence abortion policy without judges telling them they can’t. The work ahead is huge, but at least it now has the chance to be more effective….
Must We Resign Ourselves to Violence?
by Julia Smucker Once while taking a graduate-level test in cultural anthropology, I had a revelation of sorts. In the class, we’d been discussing what’s revealed when different cultural values come into tension. The test essay question went something like, “What would the repeal of motorcycle helmet laws say about American cultural values, and how…
Buy the Time to Make Peace: Seeking a Cease-Fire in the Ukraine War
by John Whitehead The Ukraine-Russia war recently passed its 100-day mark. In those 100 days, the war has killed huge numbers of people (precise numbers are unclear) and displaced millions. The war also still threatens to cause harm beyond Ukraine’s borders, whether through a broader conflict between Russia and the west or through an international…
In Defense of Detachment: The Different Approaches to Protecting Lives
by John Whitehead A commitment to the consistent life ethic is a commitment to protect people’s lives against violence or other threats. This essential commitment is present among all varieties of consistent life advocates and their different approaches to the ethic. Sometimes, though, consistent life advocacy can involve a more personal, concrete, and emotional type…
My Ideas for Post-Roe Legislation
by Rachel MacNair Now that Roe’s overturn looks like a real possibility, I want to suggest some ideas for legislation. When the Biden administration started, I wrote My Ideas for 2021 Legislation, detailing what I would advise if I were asked, knowing I wouldn’t be asked. I still hold to ratifying the United Nations…
Racism Kills: Several Perspectives
Quotations compiled in PowerPoint by Rachel MacNair Feel free to copy and paste any you find suitable in your social media. Keeping You & Your Kids Sexually Pure , p. 86 The Poor Cry Out for Justice, and We Respond with Legalized Abortion “Is It Too Late?” 1971 Speech of Fannie Lou Hamer …
Reflections on the Alito Draft Leak of May 2, 2022
The May 2 article in Politico has caused quite a stir: a leaked February 10 draft of a proposed opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson. The draft says that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” and explicitly overturns Roe v. Wade and Casey. Here we offer a variety of responses. The Work Ahead Excerpt from Statement…
Threats to the Unborn Beyond Abortion
by Julia Smucker The primary focus of pro-life advocacy (as conventionally understood in reference to the defense of prenatal human lives) is on opposing abortion – and rightly so, since the legalized killing of the unborn claims thousands of lives daily and is at the root of their dehumanization. Consistent life ethicists, while advocating strongly…
Beyond the Human – Plus Everyday Peace Actions
by Rachel MacNair Among the insights of the consistent life ethic are: When we perceive human beings as potential targets and therefore dehumanize them, this is an outrage. It’s also inaccurate. All human beings should be respected and free from violence. When people perpetrate violence, it’s mentally unhealthy for them. Committing violence in one area…
Untying the Knot of War: Seek Negotiation, Not Escalation in Ukraine
by John Whitehead The Russian war against Ukraine is nearing its two-month mark with no clear end in sight. The human suffering caused by the war, including reported human rights violations by Russian forces, is terrible to contemplate. Further, the ongoing US confrontation with Russia over Ukraine carries its own set of dangers: a…