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Culture Of LifeThe phrase culture of life is used principally in United States politics and Roman Catholic doctrine as shorthand for a concept that human life, at all stages from conception through to death, is sacred from birth until natural death. As such, a "culture of life" is opposed to practices that are seen as destructive of human life, such as stem cell research involving the destruction of human embryos, abortion, euthanasia, war, and capital punishment. The "culture of life" has often been contrasted by politicians and religious figures with a "Culture of Death". Origins The expression owes its origins to Pope John Paul II, who first used it in a tour of the United States in 1993. Speaking to journalists at Stapleton International Airport near Denver, Colorado, the Pope denounced abortion and euthanasia, stating that "The culture of life means respect for nature and protection of God's work of creation. In a special way, it means respect for human life from the first moment of conception until its natural end." Cardinal Bernard Law reiterated the theme, urging Americans to "spread the culture of life over the culture of death". The Pope returned to the theme in April 1995 through the encyclical Evangelium Vitae Gospel of Life. In it, the Pope reiterates the Vatican's concept that human life is of immeasurable value because it is sanctified by its relationship to Christ. He writes: - In our present social context, marked by a dramatic struggle between the culture of life and the culture of death, there is need to develop a deep critical sense capable of discerning true values and authentic needs.
This creates a moral duty to preserve, protect, and sustain human life, with fundamental implications for the Roman Catholic Church's position on preservation-of-life issues. It informs the Church's opposition to such issues as abortion, euthanasia and bioethics, but also prompts the Church to strongly oppose the death penalty and war. US Politics Following the promulgation of the Pope's encyclical, The Culture of Life Foundation & Institute was founded in the United States to promote the concepts behind the Evangelium Vitae. It was recognized and blessed by the Pope in 1997. The "culture of life" entered the mainstream of US politics on October 3, 2000, during the US presidential election. It was cited by George W. Bush during a televised debate with Vice President Al Gore in which Bush expressed concerns that a newly-approved contraceptive pill would cause more women to have abortions, while his goal was to make abortions more rare and to "promote a culture of life." Bush went on to say: - Surely this nation can come together to promote the value of life. Surely we can fight off these laws that will encourage doctors or allow doctors to take the lives of our seniors. Sure, we can work together to create a culture of life so some of these youngsters who feel like they can take a neighbor's life with a gun will understand that that's not the way America is meant to be. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/new/inthenews/100900BushWoosCatholics.htm
As the media pointed out, this was a direct borrowing from Pope John Paul II's language. His invocation of the phrase was seen as an attempt to reach out to moderate Catholics who dislike abortion, while not coming out so strongly against the practice that it would alienate voters. It was, however, criticised by some Catholics for being inconsistent with Bush's strong support for the death penalty and his repeated authorisation of executions while serving as Governor of Texas. He returned to the same theme on a number of other occasions during his campaign, stating that "I think the next president must talk about a culture of life." The "culture of life" has repeatedly been invoked by politicians during Bush's terms as President of the United States. Notable instances included: - the summer of 2001, when a major political controversy occurred over the federal government's position on stem cell research and President Bush faced accusations of backtracking on his earlier "culture of life" rhetoric;
- March 2003, when the US Congress passed a bill prohibiting partial-birth abortions which proponents cited as advancing the "culture of life";
- The Unborn Victims of Violence Act in April 2004, which defined a violent attack on a pregnant women as two distinct crimes: one against the woman herself, and the other against her unborn child - this was promoted as improving the rights of the unborn, hence advancing the "culture of life";
- The US presidential election, 2004, when the phrase was incorporated into the platform of the Republican Party, referring to the party's opposition to abortion, stem cell research involving the destruction of human embryos and euthanasia.
- The Terri Schiavo controversy of March 2005, when the phrase was used in support of legislative and legal efforts to prolong the life of a brain-damaged woman.
Often, defenders of the "culture of life" compare their opponents to the perpetrators of the Nazi genocide, arguing that they shared the same disregard for human lifehttp://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5325588.htmlhttp://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4360. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor argued, for example, that without morals, "it is the strong who decide the fate of the weak," and "Human beings therefore become instruments of other human beings. That way lies eugenics, and we know from German history where that leads. We are already on that road: for what else is the termination of six million lives in the womb since the Abortion Act was introduced, and embryo selection on the basis of gender and genes?http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4314536 Disputes surrounding the term Like the term "pro-life," the term "Culture of Life" is not without its critics, who argue that religious conservatives do not have a monopoly on valuing life, or that they devalue it themselves. For example, Leonard Peikoff argues that "Sentencing a woman to sacrifice her life to an embryo is not upholding the "right-to-life"... You cannot be in favor of life and yet demand the sacrifice of an actual, living individual to a clump of tissue."http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=2404 Another example is Andrew Sullivan, who is Catholic but opposed the religious right on the issue of euthanasia for Terri Schiavo: - Bush himself, who said last week that "it is wise to always err on the side of life," didn't seem so concerned when he signed countless death warrants as governor of Texas, with the most cursory of legal reviews. He also signed a Texas law that gave surviving next of kin complete discretion to remove life-support from a terminally ill patient in the absence of a living will. Last week, an eight-year-old boy died after his tube was removed in Texas because his parents could no longer afford treatment, but the religious right seemed uninterested. As commander in chief, Bush has presided over the criminal homicides of 26 inmates in U.S. military care, after removing by executive memo the usual bans on cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners. Culture of life? http://www.andrewsullivan.com/main_article.php?artnum=20050326
Andrew Sullivan is not the only Christian who disagrees with the conventional view of the "culture of life"; conservative talk radio host Neal Boortz argued against prolonging Terri Schiavo's "prolonged and excruciating limbo" between life and death from a Christian position: - Perhaps you believe, as I do, that the human soul is so connected to and integrated with its earthly body that any transition will not be made until that body ceases functioning -- until death occurs. That being the case, why do you so ardently desire that the soul of Terri Schiavo spend five, ten, perhaps 30 years or more trapped in a useless and non-functioning body, unable to move on to whatever reward awaits her? Isnt 15 years enough?... Terri Schiavo isnt being murdered. Shes being allowed to die. Death will not be an end for Terri Schiavo, it will be a beginning. She will finally be allowed to claim the reward that ultimately we all seek, a reward shes earned and deserves.http://www.townhall.com/columnists/nealboortz/nb20050324.shtml
References - "Pope ends visit with frank talk", State Journal Register, Springfield, Illinois (August 16, 1993)
- "Bush Woos Catholics On Abortion Nominee, Echoes Pope's 'Culture Of Life' Phrase", Boston Globe (October 9, 2000)
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