“Millions Who Are Already Hanging by a Thread”: The Global Repercussions of Covid-19
by John Whitehead The Covid-19 pandemic threatens life in multiple ways. The virus not only has killed people directly—more than 400,000 to date—but has also worsened poverty and inequality. By disrupting the world economy, the pandemic has taken away many people’s livelihoods and harmed the poor. The illness and the resulting economic hardships don’t fall…
Justice Littered with Injustice: Viewing Just Mercy in a Charged Moment
Editor’s note: to see this movie free in the month of June, 2020, go to Just Mercy – Watch for Free by Julia Smucker The film Just Mercy (Warner Brothers, 2019) follows attorney Bryan Stevenson’s early career as founding director of the Equal Justice Initiative, providing legal counsel to inmates on Alabama’s death row. In…
Post-pandemic: What Worries Me
by Lois Kerschen We have a long way to go before the Covid-19 pandemic is at an end. Nonetheless, people are already speculating about what kind of world we will have afterwards. Case in point, the May 22 edition of Peace & Life Connections, the Consistent Life Network (CLN) newsletter.. The feature article of that…
Voices on Police Brutality in the Aftermath of the Murder of George Floyd
compiled by Rachel MacNair See the Consistent Life Network’s official statement. See tweet and comments here. + + + U.S. police have attacked journalists more than 110 times since May 28 by Laura Hazard Owen, June 1, 2020. As Black Lives Matter protests spread across the country one week after…
“But I was Empty”: The Story of a Doctor Who Left Planned Parenthood
by Sarah Terzo The pro-life group Live Action did an interview with former abortionist Patti Giebink, who did abortions at Planned Parenthood for three years after performing abortions in her residency. Giebink is now a pro-life activist. Giebink entered medical school with strong pro-choice beliefs, which she now says she never questioned or really examined….
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…
To Know a Person is to Recognize a Human
by Julia Smucker Methodist theologian Stanley Hauerwas once wrote, “My Uncle Charlie is not much of a person but he is still my Uncle Charlie.” This striking sentence introduced his argument on the limits of “personhood” language in medical contexts. Yet it also captures the power of having known a human being as a person,…
“Trust Landlords”: Pro-Choice Candidate Supports Eviction Rights
Satire by Richard Stith Reporter: “I am so grateful for your willingness to answer a few questions about the eviction controversy. As I’m sure you know, in response to the “My Building, My Choice!” campaign, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed rules to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants….
Sickness is the Health of the State? Civil Liberties and Conflict during a Pandemic
by John Whitehead The COVID-19 pandemic has consumed the world’s attention during these early months of 2020. The virus’ health threat, especially to older people and other vulnerable groups, is correctly the primary concern right now, with the pandemic’s economic consequences perhaps being the second greatest concern. Both these aspects of the pandemic fully deserve…