Recently my name appeared on a New York Times ad urging citizens to call for the removal of George W. Bush from office. The reasons cited are many, among them:
- his reckless pursuit of war in Iraq, which has helped to destabilize the entire middle East
- his approval of torture
- his zealous promotion of imprisonment and executions
- his fiscal policies which make the wealthy people more wealthy and poor people poorer (During the past six years poverty in the U.S. has risen 17%)
There is, however, one issue addressed in the ad that I cannot endorse, which if I had seen the final version of the ad would have led me to withhold my signature. The statement reads: "Your government is moving to deny women here and all over the world the right to birth control and abortion." The life issues involved in the beginning of life are exceedingly complex. My stance on abortion is a matter of public record. I stand morally opposed to killing: war, executions, killing of the old and demented, the killing of children, unborn and born. As I have stated publicly many times, I stand squarely within the framework of "the seamless garment" ethic of life. I believe that all of life is sacred and must be protected, especially in the vulnerable stages at the beginning of life and its end.
I signed the ad because as a follower of the way of Jesus and a U.S. citizen, I cannot stand by passively and silently as I witness my government wage such grievous oppression and violence. It has been this same spirit of engaged citizenship that has for the past twenty years led me to speak out against the death penalty while encouraging my fellow citizens and my church to deeper reflection on the issue by the books and articles I have written and numerous public lectures.
For me, personally, it would be sinful not to raise my voice publicly in opposition to the life-destructive policies and practices of the Bush administration. That is what led me to sign the ad calling for his removal.
When I signed my endorsement of the ad, the conversation focused on the abuses of the Bush administration. I understood that the draft form of the ad which I signed was an intent of my willingness to sign the ad; however, I expected to be given a final version to critique before affixing my signature. Since that opportunity was not granted, I feel the need to issue this clarification.
Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ
If murder is such a horrible crime that it leads to murder, how can that be described as reason? It is rationalization. Murder is a crime only in certain situations. As far as abortion is concered, there is abstinace, birth control, and the morning after pill. Abortion is not the right to choose, it is an excuse to put off choosing for months. I realize this highly un PC.
Hey Helen! Good for you for signing this ad promoting the removal of George Bush from office. While I realize that abortion is a ‘hot button’ issue among Catholics, I still think lending your name to that ad was a positive thing. The many horrors perpetrated by the Bush administration have harmed our society and the world as a whole, far more than legalized abortion, in my opinion.
I have never understood people who could be pro-life as far as the unborn but pro-death as far as the living. It seems to me to be an inconsistent position and I wish some of these strident right to lifers would wake up to that realization.
That’s all, just touching base. August 18th…28 years ago our group entered the novitiate, YIKES! Take good care.
I appreciate the clarity of your statement. We need to keep emphasizing the importance of a consistent life ethic.
Apropos of that, we need to respond to the effort within Amnesty International to get it to support a “right” to abortion. Consistent Life has established a registry of consistent life ethic AI supporters at http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/consistentlife to that end.
Sister Helen, I believe that AI has great respect for you. Perhaps you can help to forestall this in AI.
Sr. Helen:
Thank you so much for autographing Dead Man Walking for me through a mutual friend (Lillie). I have just finished the book (I loved it) and am moving on to Death of Innocents.
I just told Lillie that, eventhough you may not want me to because I am one of those Republicans, I find myself quickly becoming a Prejeanian.
I have close personal ties with the Vincentian Fathers and, as such, I love your love of the poor and defenseless. I fully support life in “all” its stages. I thank God for you and your beautiful ministry.
God Bless!
Steve Stoll
Hey Sister! How do you pronounce your last name? Peace & blessings ….. REV CURT =)>
Dear Sister Helen,
I am glad you were able to take the time to modify your statement, because that made it more truthful and relevant to President Bush. With this administration, the more truthful one is the more condemning for them. Anyway I signed a very similar statement on that same website.
I believe that what we are seeing in this country is the real results of hypocritical logic. It’s true that you know much more about this than I do, with your support of the many execution victims, in most cases innocent people, put to death for a political agenda.
The Bush administration has attempted to gloss over their corrupt ideals, while trying to sell it (a war on {citizens through} terror to the public as righteous. Yet, they have far too much blood on their hands for these lies to stand up on their own.
Bless you sister, and I want to encourage you to continue in the direction you are.
Forced pregnancy and childbirth is extremely violent, coercive, and grotesque — a particularly evil form of rape. It is a profoundly anti-life stance. Women are full human beings, not passive incubators whose rights must be subsumed to that of the fetus. I greatly respect your anti-death penalty work, but urge you to re-think your position on this one.
I think you are not beeing fair to the murder victims of the men that are in dath row. You say you believe that all life is sacred, and that no one has the right to take life away from another. What about the life that was taken during the murder? Is that ok in your eyes? The one on death row has violated the right of another to life, somethig that as an American we stand for. After he has taken that right from someone, he does not have that right anymore. I have read your book The death of innocents. I do agree with you tha tVirginias 21 day rule is unfair and stupid. Then in the chapter machinary of death, you are picking on just one suprem justice because he is catholic, when there is another 8 people that need to vote on an issue. You also talk about all this religion stuff about Jesus words and who he was opposed to killing another, and what the bibble says about the subject, and that killing is cruel. I was born a raise Catholic, Im from Spain, and went to catholic church and all, what about the Crusades, whas that not cruel? Catholics where killing by the thousands because people where from other religions, was that moral? They were not convicted for a murder.
Dear Sister:
Your unconditional position on the death penalty is known clearly all over the world. Certainly it has changed the mind and hearts of more people than any other campaign to abolish capital punishment.
Your position on abortion could be summarized by your August 11, 2006 statement:
“The life issues involved in the beginning of life are exceedingly complex. My stance in abortion is a matter of public record. I stand morally opposed to killing: war, execution, killing of the old and demented, the killing of children, unborn and born”.
It is interesting that you avoided the words “fetus” and “embryo” in your opposition to killing. Is that in deference to your opening statement about “The life isssues involved in the beginning of life are exceeddingly complex”?
To you, is a fertlized ovum an “unborn child”? What about a 16 weeks Down’s fetus, or a four weeks embrionic plate, product of a rape or incest?
Pablo A. Pinzon, M.D., F.A.C.O.G
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