A new way to think about the ‘consistent ethic of life’

By Steven P Milies, 7 October 2022
Image: Shutterstock.

 

Before we talk about what the consistent ethic of life is, maybe we should start by talking about what the consistent ethic of life is not. We might get a little farther that way.

The “seamless garment” (Jn 19:23) has always been an appealing image. As a metaphor, however, this common way people talk about the consistent ethic is problematic. The image of the garment is tempting, because it helps to make the consistent ethic seem more concrete.

But this is a problem: Thinking concretely tends to focus our attention on objects and, in this particular case, on issues. The consistent ethic is not about issues. The consistent ethic is not about abortion, euthanasia, nuclear war, poverty, education, capital punishment. Reducing the consistent ethic to a piece of whole cloth conjures the same picture that its critics forever invoke against it—a sort of level playing field where all of these issues, all of the various threats to human life, seem seamlessly the same.

The consistent ethic of life is not a “seamless garment” in this sense. The consistent ethic is not (and, never was) an argument for seeing particular issues as equivalent.

The consistent ethic is a framework to guide our analysis of political questions in the light of our deepest moral commitments. The consistent ethic is a way of thinking about these questions in the light of those deep commitments of faith. And, the consistent ethic has a practical dimension too.

To continue reading this article go to US Catholic. With thanks to Steven P Milies and US Catholic.

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