The Culture of Death is alive as Hell

As long as the leaders and disciples of the abortion industry/religion are fighting like hell for hell, there is a real battle taking place.

A wall at the grade school of the Church of the Ascension in the Overland Park, Kan., is July 10, 2022, seen with graffiti about abortion. This message was accompanied by another on the school's front doors. The vandal or vandals also spray-painted a statue of Mary on the parish grounds. (CNS photo/courtesy The Leaven)

Kate Brown, governor of Oregon, where I’ve lived since 1991, was upset when news leaked in early May about the Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs. How upset?

Let me be very, very clear: You cannot ban abortion. You can only ban safe abortion. Access to abortion is protected by state law in Oregon, and I will fight to keep it that way — no matter what the U.S. Supreme Court decides. Don’t lose hope. Let’s fight like hell.

My short response was: “Correction: ‘Let’s fight for hell.” In the video accompanying her pseudo-religious rallying tweet, Brown said that the news about the future of Roe v. Wade “has left many of us feeling angry, terrified, hopeless, and incredibly frustrated.” (She could have said the same about her status as the “nation’s least popular governor”, but that’s another matter for another time.) Then, when the SCOTUS ruling came down on June 24th, Brown tweeted, in part: “We will not stand on the sidelines. We’ve got your back. We will fight like hell to protect your rights and your safety.”

And then, like the hell she fights for, Brown unleashed this little pack of lies:

Abortion is health care, and no matter who you are or where you come from, Oregon doesn’t turn away anyone seeking health care. This disgraceful Supreme Court decision will put lives at risk and strips away a constitutional right has been settled law for most of our lifetimes.

For which I crowned her “Petulant Poster Child for the Culture of Death.”

The convenience of Brown as a foil shouldn’t keep you from seeing just how common her rantings are among the culture of death faithful. The culture wars are still here. And will be for a long time to come.

Yes, yes, I know—the “Culture Wars” are not popular with the Catholic Cool Kids. For example, one member of Pontifical Academy for Life recently bemoaned that St. Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, which forthrightly addressed the culture of death, “advanced a deeply polarized ideology.” That member was apparently unaware that the very name “Pontifical Academy for Life” is logically and inherently “polarizing”. And heaven forbid she accidentally crack open her dusty Bible and come across this sort of deeply polarizing ideology, uttered by God to the Israelites:

See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. … I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live… (Dt 30:15, 19)

This sort of polarizing language is—surprise!—quite common in Scripture (it is, put simply, the language of covenant), which as of this writing still retains some pride of place in the Catholic Faith. But if John Paul II, who died just 17 years ago, is already being relegated to the dust heaps of ecclesial history, perhaps the Bible, despite being divinely inspired and all that, is also problematic.

Partial jesting aside, John Paul II’s many remarks on the culture of life and the culture of death are worth revisiting. Contrary to some critics, who say John Paul II was too fixated on abortion, Evangelium Vitae is not myopic or narrow in the least. In fact, the very term culture speaks to the all-encompassing, religious character of both the culture of life and the culture of death. Here are just three observations from Evangelium Vitae about the culture of death that are just as (or even more) on point today as they were over a quarter century ago.

First, driven by “powerful cultural, economic and political currents which encourage an idea of society excessively concerned with efficiency,” the culture of death takes the side of “the powerful against the weak”. Lives that demand “greater acceptance, love and care” are “considered useless, or held to be an intolerable burden, and is therefore rejected in one way or another.” Those who are ill, handicapped, or otherwise demand special care are problems to be fixed; they can quickly become problems to resisted or even enemies to be eliminated. Thus, a “‘conspiracy against life’ is unleashed.” And this exists at the personal, familial, social, and political level (EV 12). John Paul II sums this point up by stating “it cannot be denied that such a culture of death, taken as a whole, betrays a completely individualistic concept of freedom, which ends up by becoming the freedom of ‘the strong’ against the weak who have no choice but to submit” (EV 19).

Secondly, the roots of the struggle (culture war!) between the “culture of life” and the “culture of death” are found in “the eclipse of the sense of God and of man, typical of a social and cultural climate dominated by secularism…” (EV 21). A vicious circle exists, in which the loss of the sense of God eats away at a proper understanding of man’s dignity and right to life, which results in “the systematic violation of the moral law…” The transcendent character and call of man are crushed as the supernatural realm is ignored or denied; life is no longer a gift or seen as sacred, but a “thing” which “man claims as his exclusive property, completely subject to his control and manipulation.” Feeding this downward spiral is an obsession (linked to the first point) with technology and doing, “with programming, controlling and dominating birth and death.”

Thirdly, having rejected God, either openly or implicitly, man becomes his own god, trying to shape matter and reality to conform to his passions. The “meaning of everything else becomes profoundly distorted” (EV 21). Nature is simply matter, to be manipulated. A proper balance reflecting man’s nature as a creature called to share in God’s divine life is trampled beneath ideological dreams and technocratic schemes; the relationship between freedom and law is destroyed (a theme taken up in detail in Veritatis Splendor). “Thus,” John Paul II asserts, “it is clear that the loss of contact with God’s wise design is the deepest root of modern man’s confusion, both when this loss leads to a freedom without rules and when it leaves man in ‘fear’ of his freedom.”

Note that while all of this can be (and should be) applied to abortion, the word “abortion” does not appear in the quotes above (it is addressed many times elsewhere in the encyclical). This, again, is because the goal is to describe a pervasive culture. And so, to take an example not addressed in the encyclical, the three points above apply fully and directly to the tyranny of trans. The trans-insanity is rooted in a failure to understand (or complete rejection of) human nature and sexuality as gifts from God, technocratic efficiency, addressing problems with anti-human means and methods, and the mad drive to reshape—destroy, tragically—the matter of bodies in order to fix problems that are spiritual, emotional, and metaphysical.

And so, for example, NPR—apparently now “National Porn Radio”—runs interviews encouraging “sex education” advocating as few boundaries as possible and a fixation on “experiences”, “pleasure”, and ever-changing “identities”. Would you be shocked to learned that Gov. Brown is a rabid advocate for anything and everything “trans” (aka “LGBTQIA”)?

The post-Dobbs violence and upheaval—churches vandalized or burned, pro-life centers attacked, and all sorts of intimidation and vitriol—is not surprising in the least. People fixated on destroying life have no qualms about destroying churches, pro-life facilities, language, truth, facts, science, rights, reputations, or relationships. The culture of death is a religion, and abortion is essential to that religious “faith”:

In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis presented hell as radical isolation, with inhabitants choosing to be closed off from relationship with God and with others. Put another way, hell is the epitome of false love, in which Me, Myself, and I are locked in a perpetual anti-Trinitarian embrace, burning with the agony of true love lost and authentic communion spurned. “My abortion was the best decision I ever made,” states this woman matter-of-factly, “It was an act of self love.” God alone judges the heart, but such an act is hell-ish in nature, ripping the child away from life, communion, belonging, relationship.

“This know also,” wrote Saint Paul, “that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God…” (2 Tim 3:1ff). As long as the Browns of the world are fighting like hell for hell, there is a real battle taking place. Here’s hoping and praying that someone at the Pontifical Academy for Life gets the memo. And a Bible.


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About Carl E. Olson 1229 Articles
Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be "Left Behind"?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the "Catholicism" and "Priest Prophet King" Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. His recent books on Lent and Advent—Praying the Our Father in Lent (2021) and Prepare the Way of the Lord (2021)—are published by Catholic Truth Society. He is also a contributor to "Our Sunday Visitor" newspaper, "The Catholic Answer" magazine, "The Imaginative Conservative", "The Catholic Herald", "National Catholic Register", "Chronicles", and other publications. Follow him on Twitter @carleolson.

25 Comments

  1. From the rejection of the gift of life (Humanae Vitae)
    A downward spiral to euthanasia (culture of death)
    Staff now needed to facilitate the suffering of others
    Christians preferred, we want them to join the herd.
    Good salary with a special bonus for efficiency
    The undertakers think our work is wham, no more queue or jam,
    Quick turn around and your bonus will be found.
    Comprehensive benefits for your whole family
    No need for Medicare, as we take every care
    Contraception, including the snip if you wish,
    Tubal ligation, without hesitation
    Abortion on demand, any term you discern
    An abnormality at birth, what is their life worth?
    Common sense is our defense, the wisdom of man, is where I am
    Car accident, we will ease the pain his life will never be the same again
    Delusional, we will need your approval
    Parents needing long-term care, don’t despair we will give them gentle care
    “Pension plan”?
    No need, comfort, and ease; your life will be a breeze.
    Dad is selling the farm! us he will harm
    Fear and Greed are where this road will lead

    When it is your turn to go, we ..V.. will let you know

    kevin your brother
    In Christ

    • Just commented on a previous post you made Kevin, but it disappeared. I basically said that as I crossed myself reading what you had written, I thought of the importance of words. You certainly make one think internally. I recently read “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. It was much more than a short story, it was a Catholic short story. I also watched Ted Sherman analysis of the story on YouTube. Flannery is a truly wonderful writer. Cancelled? Not by me, I’m devouring her writing. God bless Flannery and you too Kevin.

      • Thank you, Kate, for your comment I have read very little throughout my life obviously I have heard of Flannery O’Connor but know little about her but now I do know a little as I followed up on “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. This connection was very astute in relation to the last line of my poem which alludes to the Prince of this world ..V.. with his two-fingered sign that protects the worldly image of many Christians.

        May God keep you in His care, Kate, now and always

        kevin your brother
        In Christ

    • I’m not sure that I laughed is appropriate, but in the seriousness of what you say I saw truth and absurdity. Isn’t that life? Brilliant! Actually, I make no pardon for laughing, it’s justified. God bless those who see.

  2. A stark admonition to Gov Brown, and in context, to the world. Overtones of last days by Olson from Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy. Stark because Olson, like the Apostle, references the ‘ultimate calamity’ [St Therese of Lisieux’s words of warning] of hell.
    I’m not a fan of Hell. Meaning I don’t relish the reality even for the worst offenders, and find it difficult in my limited intellect to encompass the divine intelligence and justice. So I leave it to faith and try to be like the innocent child Christ says we must become to avoid eternal catastrophe and gain entrance into his heavenly realm, of good, of love, of unsurpassable beatific happiness. It [Hell] warrants reminder, stark reminder as does the author because the purposeful murder of innocent infants in the womb, once safest sanctuary for budding life, life created in God’s image, now a most dangerous place. Because as Paul quoted above says men will love themselves. And how!
    Everything [virtually because there are the good folks] on major media interface sites is self seeking, self imaging, self indulgence. Gratification in favor of truth and love. So why should prenatal infants be of any value in what our world has become. I try at, it often seems in vain, bringing Christ into that sordid picture. And surprisingly, though noted for their selective management intolerance, is their tolerance of me. Some do listen. And listen when our words are stark [couched with sufficient diplomacy]. Like Olson’s.
    Some here, long faithful, are now questioning the Church. Considering abandoning ship. I mean the Church instituted by Christ. Not the fake one claimed by impostors who have overtaken the Vatican. Where then is that Church? By God it’s us.

    • Great article by Carl Olson.

      I fear, too, along with Fr. Morello, that many long faithful are considering abandoning the faith. That’s exactly what Satan desires. I briefly considered turning my back, if not outright abandoning the Church.

      I realized quickly, thank God, that I can never do that. It’s not in me. I’m Gaelic by blood and temperament and I will not betray my true brothers in Christ. I will stand firm until the end.

      Keep the faith! hold your ground.

      Thanks for writing this Mr. Olson.

  3. Superb article—the genuine truth.

    The Holy Spirit tells through St. Paul that “there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you be recognized”(1 Cor 11,19). Not surprising that when political hacks like Brown serve this purpose but tragic when the Pontifical Life Academy, now desecrated thanks to Pope Francis, do likewise.

  4. What an excellent article! To the point and filled with truth. As for leaving the Faith, no way. We alone have our Lord in the Eucharist and the fulness of the truth. A devotion of mine, the 24 hours of the Passion by Louisa Piccarreta, which I do daily, keeps my focus on Jesus Christ and I look to the Eucharist while saying them,1 hour every day. I pray for conversions while there is time. Diane

  5. “In The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis presented hell as radical isolation, with inhabitants choosing to be closed off from relationship with God and with others. Put another way, hell is the epitome of false love, in which Me, Myself, and I are locked in a perpetual anti-Trinitarian embrace, burning with the agony of true love lost and authentic communion spurned. “My abortion was the best decision I ever made,” states this woman matter-of-factly, “It was an act of self love.” God alone judges the heart, but such an act is hell-ish in nature, ripping the child away from life, communion, belonging, relationship.”

    Father forgive them,they know not what they do.

    Great article Carl.

  6. More and more people are of the opinion that we are in the last days. If we trumpet “Life” this is good. It is God honouring, as we are created in His image! Are the u born a mere inconvenience? Is love and nurture not more important? We need to ask unselfish questions, we have an obligation to speak the truth and follow godly precepts.

    God has saved us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we have a duty to save life not to take it wantonly. The follower of Christ needs to do what God has appointed each person to do, works set out in advance for us to do.

    Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

    Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

    Jude 1:3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

    1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

    Blessings of strength and honour.

  7. Jack the Church has been through rough waters before, although this is the worst because it affects the entirety of tradition and perennial Catholic doctrine. That is done within the context of a non binding document, Amoris Laetitia. Three principles conscience: mitigation, the inconsistency of moral principles, specifically sacramental marriage and adultery.
    Francis in Amoris assumes conscience has prominence over written doctrine when a person cannot abide due to concrete, compelling circumstances, and he does his best to please God. Mitigation lessens culpability but doesn’t absolve grave sin except in extraordinary circumstances [a young impoverished pregnant woman with few options to support a child]. Habit as cited by Francis in Amoris cannot be used as argument to absolve sin when that sin is grave. Repeated offenses cannot for example absolve serial adulterers, serial thieves. Pope Francis’ argument on Aquinas in ST 94, 4 is a ruse of false interpretation since Aquinas is not speaking to individual cases rather the universal adherence to natural law principles where we find differences based on ignorance at times sin. The rule does not change, rather the insufficiency in practice.
    All these arguments have limited viability in exceptional cases. What Pope Francis has done is placed the onus on the presbyter priest to consider all these arguments in discernment, which arguments confer the benefit of the doubt to the penitent leaving the priest with little option but to judge in his favor.
    These falsifications of interpretation of necessary principles of moral coherence ate widespread and spreading. Why would God permit it? It appears the preexisting languish of faithful practice among Catholics has incurred a chastisement, as if to say God decided that if this is what you want, I’ll permit the circumstances [the retirement of Benedict XVI and election of Francis to the papacy] that will fulfill sinful desires as compatible and end in damnation. The history of ancient Israel has many examples of such chastisements.
    Whatever may be actually transpiring we are completely in the right to remain faithful to the Church revealed by Christ and given us by the Apostles. Indeed we are required to remain faithful to the true Church.

    • Yes, Peter (Fr Peter Morello, PhD) Amoris Laetitia is flawed as it dismisses Christ’s commandment of the indissolubility of marriage, whereas it should be vigorously defended and reinforced which you do. While also understanding that God’s Divine Mercy cannot be codified As

      “a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise”

      For many years I have been proposing that the true Divine Mercy Image gives the Church the means to call all of her Children (Cultural Catholics, seen by some as the spiritual undeserving poor) home no matter what their present state (Entangled in sinful situations). Many of whom never truly committed themselves to the faith. To embrace publicly in humility their brokenness, in the present moment, before God and the faithful. If this act of humility is sincere (I believe for many it would be so) spiritual growth (Virtue/Grace) will accrue.

      Jesus creates a parable out of a customary real-life situation in the temple; “two men went ‘up’ to the temple to pray” and by necessity, later went home again to their occupations (Real-life situation)
      While also today many appear to think that they own (the judgment of) God, similar to the Pharisee who had the authority of the Law and sees himself as a reflection of that law, he sees this because he makes sacrifices in almsgiving and regular fasting, a sign of penance, but it was not true repentance. We can discern that it was not sincere repentance because if it were, he would now possess a humble heart, creating compassion for his fellow man, fully understanding that we are ‘all’ sinners in ‘continual need of His Divine Mercy. With all the stress they placed on externals, they missed the living heart of their religion, it was too much tradition and conformity to rules.

      We now turn our gaze to the Tax Collector a symbol of sin, a counterpart to a prostitute. He is honest with himself as he sees the reality of himself, he depends on nothing but God alone, for His Mercy, and in doing so, he makes ‘an act of perfect contrition, he does not make a statement that he will sin no more, for to do so would make him a hypocrite, as he knows his own reality (Living Situation) in that he would go home to continue working for the enemy of his people, most probably now after his plea for mercy, he would not exploit his people for his own personal gain, but nevertheless, he is entangled in a sinful situation, one that involves working in collusion with the enemy, which would entail, dealing with informers, spies, intimidators and injustices. But an inward journey of spiritual growth has commenced.

      Jesus also knows his reality; nevertheless, He tells us that he went home justified before God, (Not ‘MAN’). He was acceptable to Jesus and it would be fair to say that today he would be welcome to partake of His table.

      So as stated above, it is the sincerity of our hearts before Christ’s teachings that induce humility, and this state (Sincerity) I believe can be ‘ongoing’ even in a soul entangled in a sinful situation (Who cannot receive the full Sacrament of Reconciliation) because it is on the spiritual plane that we ‘all’ encounter God from moment-to-moment 70×7.

      A Catholic can still carry the intent to make an official Confession while living in this ‘ongoing’ state (Entanglement) so that when that sinful situation has been remedied, he/she can ask for an official absolution of their sins.

      Please consider continuing via the link to my Posts which give further insight before continuing here.
      https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2022/03/24/lent-and-the-sacraments-penance-and-anointing-of-the-sick/#comment-304581

      A contrite heart is a humble heart, not a perfect one, but a developing ongoing one and by its very nature regrets past sins and would be aware of its entanglement with evil and because of this, it would put its trust in God alone while it is been transformed by The Holy Spirit into a compliant tender knowing compassionate one.#
      Only God knows the true intent (Reality) of another. God cannot be deceived, so the Church must not fear encouraging those who are entangled in a sinful situation because to make a public verbal (Jesus I Trust in thee) acknowledgment that you are not as you should be before the Lord and the faithfully, just prior to receiving Communion, is not an easy option, and because of this, we would see the true intent (Sincerity) of the majority of recipients.
      As in a humble heart, one with the ongoing potential for spiritual growth, hopefully leading to full reconciliation with the Church.

      And that is why Jesus says what should be terrifying words for us to reflect upon

      “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (When we also finally look for His Mercy)

      What I am proposing does not ‘give scandal’ as no one is deceived, rather it glorifies God before the laity and mankind, as it shows the merciful human face of Jesus Christ.

      So, should we not want for others, that which we have been given ourselves, that is, the faith to live in His Divine Mercy, in “humility”, because isn’t that what being a Christian is all about?

      kevin your brother
      In Christ.

      • My brother:

        Through the outworking of our faith comes knowledge of God and usefulness to our fellow man. As we confess our sins to one another, it helps speaker and listener alike, not to feel alone.

        Luke 7:47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

        1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

        Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

        Romans 5:20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

        1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

        Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

        Sin is powerful and persistent, yet God is all-powerful and he who has begun a good work in you, will see it through to completion. This you understand and God uses you to further His kingdom.

        In the name of Jesus,

        your brother

        • Thank you, Brian, my brother for your encouraging comment accompanied with relevant quotes from scripture which are blessings, that water/feed the heart.

          Sincerely
          kevin your brother
          In Christ

  8. In Canada, abortion and doctor assisted suicide is supposedly a settled issue.
    However, I believe the pendulum never stops and these hellish crimes will be reversed.

  9. Supposedly, in the late eighteenth century the fledling republic of the United States did not prohibit abortion, it may well have been because since pagan Antiquity throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and what was to be known as Europe prevailed the habit of leaving matters of the termination of pregnancy and the survival of a new-born infant generally in the hands of the mother, or mother-to-be. Maternal infaticide was not uncommon. Upon the birth of a child, it was she, the closest to the birthing, who would decide not infrequently if it was to live or die. Deformed offspring, and those perceived as weaklings would be abandoned to death shortly after birth, also females newborn, if considered by the mother a surfeit burden to family, for females generally were judged to a family unprofitable. The same understanding governed abortion, including, in particular, the issue of sexual indiscretions. Since the fetus had been conceived and developed in her body, the mother had priority over its fate. However, once she presented the birth to the progenitor, the child no longer was hers as an extension from her organic self to do with it as she would, the child then belonged to the world, as represented by the other, namely the father of the child. Indeed, if the child was nominally destined to inherit property and/or political importance, the mother’s traditional prerogative of determining even before birth the life or death of the child was severely limited, probably even null. Then interest and power of the progenitor, of families, and even of the State -certainly in Sparta- prevailed.

    Old habits die hard, some never really do. After Christianity became the official and dominant doctrine throughout the Roman Empire, the initial privilege of the pregnant woman to decide on the fate of life or death of the fetal child in her womb persisted. The mother’s primitive right to exercise infanticide shortly after giving birth probably waned, though did not totally disappear. Throughout the world, the Church, even with the collaboration of the State, has never been able to end either practice.

    In modern, post-Christian times, women who claim the right to abort are fundamentally affirming an ancient understanding of the unique role and power of the mother-to-be. They are implicitly rescuing it from oblivion. Most likely, as long as humanity exists, abortion will never be eliminated. Why? Because it is a spontaneous, natural right. The only obstacle that can fully check maternal infanticide and abortion is the nurturing instinct at the base of maternal love. This cordial maternal inclination enters into play after the birth of the offspring, or its anticipation. In either case, not infrequently it plays against the base instinct of self survival, not only of the pregnant woman, also of her family, in her judgment. There is the incontrovertible fact that many human relations simply cannot afford to have a child, and not only materially. The Church, if truly concerned with fostering life, should solidly throw its lot with the marginalized, for it is not a secret that aborting is a radical solution often poor pregnant women choose, many of them not even adults yet.

    The punitive hammer of the law, which is all that the gang of six SCOTUS anti-abortion judges have fashioned, hardly is the proper instrument with which to address the hundreds of thousands of cases yearly of pregnant women in distress. If the State and the Church offer not much more than strictures, condemnation, and punishment, then most assuredly the draconian prohibition of abortion, tried througout the centuries and in many lands, will fail yet once more. For if a pregnant woman, innately aware of her exclusive right to her body, and sensing her life, her liberty and her pathway in peril, therefore decides, as Simone de Beauvoir (198-86) would say, “en soi-même et pour soi-même”, to save herself by aborting, she will find a way.

    • There are many things that used to be considered socially acceptable hundreds or thousands of years ago. Revenge killing, slavery, human sacrifice come immediately to mind. Doubtless there are others. I cant imagine any of these concepts making a come-back just because ” thats the way it used to be for centuries”. Thinking evolves over time, which is to be expected. I do not know when the Romans prohibited abortion, but given it was one of the most blood-thirsty empires to ever walk the earth, that prohibition says a great deal about how utterly wrong and immoral abortion was viewed by them. The new Roe decision, sadly, does NOT in fact prohibit abortion, it just makes it more inconvenient to obtain. Nevertheless, hysterical women ( who evidently cant read a newspaper to gain facts)are trying to access permanent sterilization to prevent pregnancy.Reining in their sexual appetites seems not to be a preferred option.A woman does not in fact “own” a child which she conceives.That she may seek an abortion in spite of the law can be true. But the state should not be in the business of subsidizing murder.Pro-abortionists like to tout the problem of rape pregnancies, but in fact they seldom occur. The vast majority of “pregnant women in distress” are single women, who would have been smart to consider their life options BEFORE engaging in a sexual union with someone. That may sound harsh but I dont believe its as harsh as advocating the murder of a baby for simple convenience. Society puts all sorts of limits on human behaviors: no marrying minors,euthanasia, laws against incest, laws against public nudity and exhibitionism, child labor, spitting in public, etc. Laws against abortion are just one more such that people need to absorb into their behavior patterns and decision making.

    • Some pretty well written words that included infanticide. It was, is and will be be murder and not you, your words, six judges or history can change that one word.

  10. Matt Walsh is right, all you have to do is just let these abortiphiles rant and rave and let them dig their own way to hell. Everyone can see how delirious they are with hatred and how the brain seems to have vacated their craniums. They really are exhibit A on why one cannot possibly be an abortiphile if they have a shred of humanity and intelligence left.

  11. Carl Olson, CWR, and most conservative Catholics have this problematic incomplete picture of the “culture of death.” It is highly misplaced and misguided for it sees abortion only as the symptom of this malady. It fails to consider other equally immoral death dealing forces nowadays like gun violence, human destruction of the environment, “Great Replacement Theory” driven violence in the name of racist Christian nationalism, perpetual war, among many others. JPII’s “Evangelium Vitae” along with the Social Teachings of the Church clearly point other bearers of death like euthanasia and capital punishment, not abortion only.

    • Where, exactly, did I pin it all on abortion?

      You seem to have missed what I actually wrote in the editorial. Namely:

      Contrary to some critics, who say John Paul II was too fixated on abortion, Evangelium Vitae is not myopic or narrow in the least. In fact, the very term culture speaks to the all-encompassing, religious character of both the culture of life and the culture of death.

      I am not and have never been a “sola abortion” sorta guy. Over the years I’ve written about the evils of sexual immorality (of many types), idolatry, racism, bigotry, euthanasia, and much more. But I will note that John Paul II himself, in EV, wrote:

      Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an “unspeakable crime”. (58)

      Just a pope and a Council. For what it’s worth. Apologies that it bothers you that I write against unspeakable crimes such abortion. But you seem to know more about me and my writing than I do, so I’ll let you hold fast to your expertise as such. In the meantime, I’ll hold fast to what St. Paul wrote a few years back:

      Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)

      • Carl, it is to be expected that the left will miss the point of what you wrote as they do most anything that deals with truth.

        There is a myopic view and there is no cure for this.

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