THE SEAMLESS GARMENT
"The protection of life is a seamless garment. You can't protect some life and not others."
Eileen Egan
It was only a few days ago that I posted my article on the separation of church and state (cf. Labianca Rosa, 11/7/08). I, of course, had the Evangelical Protestants in mind in my criticism of those Americans who would seek to impose their religious beliefs on others. And now there is a report in the Chicago Tribune that the Roman Catholic bishops are trying pressure the Obama administration to use the law to prevent all women from choosing to terminate their pregnancies----i.e. abortion. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/religion/chi-081111bishops,0,615284.story)
There is no doubt in my in my mind that the leadership in the Catholic Church sincerely believes that life begins at conception and that it is too sacred to end it prematurely. Eileen Egan was not a conservative right winger who was rigid in her approach to God and religion. She was a pacifist who, as a journalist, practiced what she preached by championing the rights of the poor and underprivileged all over the world. She was best friends with Mother Theresa and Dorothy Day, the editor of the socialist leaning Catholic Worker.
Her phrase “the seamless garment” came from a phrase used by St. John the Apostle to represent a consistent, unbroken reverence for the sacredness of life. True adherents to this principle are not only opposed to abortion but also to euthanasia, assisted suicide, (and now here it becomes “dicey”) killing in war, torture, economic injustice and capital punishment. To advocate vehemently only against abortion and not any of the others is hypocritical and “cherry picking”.
Why aren’t the Catholic bishops, as a group, speaking out against the use of torture in interrogating suspected terrorists? Why didn’t the Bishops’ Council speak out against our preemptive war in Iraq. Why aren’t they carrying placards outside of prison gates each time there is a midnight execution of convicted murderers. Why aren’t they pressuring the government to insure equal access to health care for all Americans so that all Americans have an equal shot at staying alive. I am sure that some individual bishops may have delivered sermons on some of these issues but they can’t seem to get together as a group to demand legal action for them. In this recent (11/11/08) declaration of support for pro life laws, the 300 Bishops added a “mealey mouthed” statement as an addendum to their argument ," it also advised Catholics to weigh issues like poverty, war, the environment and human rights when choosing candidates.”. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/religion/chi-081111bishops,0,615284.story)
“Advised” and “weigh” are afterthoughts just to appear even handed and politically correct.
The answer to the question of when life actually begins cannot be resolved by scientific experiment. It is a philosophical question, about which people can disagree. I am not even sure about where I stand on it. But that is the point. If people of faith and no faith can, in conscience, disagree, then it is simply a matter of those who believe trying to impose their beliefs on others. Not in a democracy like ours or any democracy. It isn’t a matter of being God being on our side. It is a matter of whether we are on God’s side.
JVP
"The protection of life is a seamless garment. You can't protect some life and not others."
Eileen Egan
It was only a few days ago that I posted my article on the separation of church and state (cf. Labianca Rosa, 11/7/08). I, of course, had the Evangelical Protestants in mind in my criticism of those Americans who would seek to impose their religious beliefs on others. And now there is a report in the Chicago Tribune that the Roman Catholic bishops are trying pressure the Obama administration to use the law to prevent all women from choosing to terminate their pregnancies----i.e. abortion. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/religion/chi-081111bishops,0,615284.story)
There is no doubt in my in my mind that the leadership in the Catholic Church sincerely believes that life begins at conception and that it is too sacred to end it prematurely. Eileen Egan was not a conservative right winger who was rigid in her approach to God and religion. She was a pacifist who, as a journalist, practiced what she preached by championing the rights of the poor and underprivileged all over the world. She was best friends with Mother Theresa and Dorothy Day, the editor of the socialist leaning Catholic Worker.
Her phrase “the seamless garment” came from a phrase used by St. John the Apostle to represent a consistent, unbroken reverence for the sacredness of life. True adherents to this principle are not only opposed to abortion but also to euthanasia, assisted suicide, (and now here it becomes “dicey”) killing in war, torture, economic injustice and capital punishment. To advocate vehemently only against abortion and not any of the others is hypocritical and “cherry picking”.
Why aren’t the Catholic bishops, as a group, speaking out against the use of torture in interrogating suspected terrorists? Why didn’t the Bishops’ Council speak out against our preemptive war in Iraq. Why aren’t they carrying placards outside of prison gates each time there is a midnight execution of convicted murderers. Why aren’t they pressuring the government to insure equal access to health care for all Americans so that all Americans have an equal shot at staying alive. I am sure that some individual bishops may have delivered sermons on some of these issues but they can’t seem to get together as a group to demand legal action for them. In this recent (11/11/08) declaration of support for pro life laws, the 300 Bishops added a “mealey mouthed” statement as an addendum to their argument ," it also advised Catholics to weigh issues like poverty, war, the environment and human rights when choosing candidates.”. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/religion/chi-081111bishops,0,615284.story)
“Advised” and “weigh” are afterthoughts just to appear even handed and politically correct.
The answer to the question of when life actually begins cannot be resolved by scientific experiment. It is a philosophical question, about which people can disagree. I am not even sure about where I stand on it. But that is the point. If people of faith and no faith can, in conscience, disagree, then it is simply a matter of those who believe trying to impose their beliefs on others. Not in a democracy like ours or any democracy. It isn’t a matter of being God being on our side. It is a matter of whether we are on God’s side.
JVP
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