The Hidden Logic of the "Culture of Life"

Many bloggers have been pointing out the inconsistency of the religious right when it comes to their so-called "culture of life." There seems to be no logical reason why "Christian" conservatives should consider life sacred when it takes the form of a persistently vegetative Terri Schiavo or a three-month-old fetus, but not when it takes the form of a retarded Texan on death row, an Iraqi civilian in the way of a US bomb, or an "enemy combatant" in Guantanamo.

If the sacredness of life is the issue, then it also seems illogical to consider abortion murder (and to want to punish abortion providers accordingly) while opposing murder prosecutions of women who procure abortions and even permitting abortion in cases of rape or incest. If the fetus is really a human being who deserves the same protection as any other person, what difference does it make how or by whom it was conceived?

There's no denying that these positions are inconsistent when judged against a "culture of life" ethic. But they are consistent when you set aside the "life" rhetoric and focus on the real ethic of the religious right. What actually drives their morality is a rigid division of the world into Good people and Bad people. The Good people deserve praise, protection, and rewards. The Bad people deserve condemnation, punishment, and (in extreme cases) death.

Thus, Terri Schiavo and the average fetus are both forms of "innocent" (i.e. Good) life that must be saved. A condemned person on death row, an Iraqi who tolerated the regime of Saddam Hussein (or worse yet supported it), a suspected terrorist in Guantanamo, and an abortion provider are all Bad and deserve death.

A mother who conceives a child out of wedlock is pretty Bad (the slut!) and deserves condemnation (though not death--the religious right doesn't go that far, at least not yet). However, if the child was conceived not through the mother's Badness but through an act of incest or rape, the mother is actually Good. Therefore, she can be allowed to obtain an abortion to rid herself of the burden implanted in her by the Bad man who made her pregnant.

As you can see, when viewed in this light, the apparent inconsistencies vanish. All you need is a clear vision of who is Good and who is Bad--which the "Christian" right has, in spades.

You may notice a tone of mockery in my analysis. This is not because I disbelieve in the ideas of "good" and "bad." Heaven knows that the Righteousness of which Jesus spoke is real enough, as is the Sin he warned us against. But as Jesus constantly reminds us ("Judge not that ye be not judged"), living morality isn't an exercise of pasting people with black or white tags. It's about being merciful and walking humbly with our God.