Consistent Life Ethic

The Consistent Life Ethic is a philosophical, ethical, religious, and political philosophy with the basic premise that "all human life is sacred", and that this calls for "a coherent social policy which seeks to protect the rights of the weakest and most vulnerable in our society, the unborn, the infirm, the refugee, the homeless, and the poor." Advocates of the Consistent Life Ethic are consequently opposed to abortion (Pro-Life), capital punishment, "economic injustice", assisted suicide and euthanasia, and unjust war; some who hold the Consistent Life Ethic oppose all war (pacifism).

Related Topics:
Philosophical - Ethical - Religious - Political - Sacred - Refugee - Abortion - Pro-Life - Capital punishment - Euthanasia - War - Pacifism

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The current movement began in the mid-1980s, through an organization known as the Seamless Garment Network (now known as Consistent Life). Most of its support initially came from religiously conservative, politically liberal Catholics, including the late Archbishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.

Related Topics:
1980s - Conservative - Liberal - Catholics - Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The movement is difficult to define in terms of a Left-Right political spectrum, since those who subscribe to the ethic are often equally at odds with the Right over capital punishment, war, and poverty issues, as well as the Left over abortion and euthanasia.

Related Topics:
Political spectrum - Poverty

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the United States, the ethic is promoted by an umbrella organization called Consistent Life which includes about 400 anti-war, pro-life, nonviolence, Christian, Buddhist, and other organizations.

Related Topics:
United States - Anti-war - Nonviolence - Christian - Buddhist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other notable exponents include novelist Wendell Berry, the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso (the head of state of the Government in exile of Tibet and spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism), political writer and self-described atheist Nat Hentoff, and Roman Catholic actor Martin Sheen.

Related Topics:
Wendell Berry - Dalai Lama - Tenzin Gyatso - Government in exile - Tibet - Tibetan Buddhism - Nat Hentoff - Martin Sheen

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~