George Weigel: The Life Issues

Thirty-five years after Roe v. Wade struck down the abortion law of all 50 states, the life issues remain the most sharply contested in American public life. They are also signature issues of Catholic concern, not for any “sectarian” reason but because the life issues engage first principles of justice, principles that form the moral foundations of the free and virtuous society. That has been the case for decades. But things are different this year, in two respects.

First, the biotech revolution is gaining momentum. Human-animal hybrids created for research purposes are now legal in Britain; “savior-siblings” artificially created to provide spare parts for a sick brother or sister are openly discussed throughout Europe; the pressure to provide public funding for such practices in the U.S. will inevitably intensify. Then there is what some consider the overriding strategic consideration in this election cycle: the real possibility that the next presidential term could produce a Supreme Court majority willing to return the abortion issue to the people and their legislators, where the Constitution leaves it.

Thoughtful Catholic voters will thus want both to pose serious questions to both the principal presidential candidates. MORE

Comments

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots