Right to life
Right to life, in its broadest sense, refers to holding human life as a paramount value. The right to life is central to debates on the issues of
abortion,
capital punishment,
euthanasia,
stem cell research,
self defense and, to a somewhat lesser extent,
war.
The
United States Declaration of Independence calls
life one of the "
unalienable rights," meaning that a person's sense of self-preservation cannot be separated from his or her psyche. As a result, the Declaration of Independence continues, people create governments to secure those rights that will always be part of human nature. When a government no longer respects the most fundamental reasons for its creation, it is the "right" and "duty" of the people to overthrow it.
Especially in the United States, the controversies around Right to Life consistently energize voters with many being single issue voters. Especially around abortion issues, it also plays a large role in powerful appointed positions, especially judicial appointments with the charge from both sides of it being a "litmus test".
The philosopher
Peter Singer holds that the right to life is grounded in the ability to plan and anticipate one's future. This extends the concept to animals, such as
apes, but since the unborn, infants and severely disabled people lack this, he states that abortion, painless infanticide and euthanasia can be "justified" (but are not obligatory) in certain special circumstances, for instance in the case of severely disabled infants whose life would cause suffering both to themselves and to their parents. Many people with a pro-life viewpoint would strongly disagree with this thesis. More mainstream opponents to the "right to life" ideology would state that abortion is not murder, hence "pro-choicers" are no less "pro-life" than "pro-lifers." They would also state that capital punishment and war are necessary tools to protect society and civilization as a whole, and are thus morally acceptable.
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National Right to Life Committee*
Feminists For Life*
Culture of Life*
Right to die*
Catholic Online*
Your Catholic Voice*
National Right to Life Committee*
Pro-Life Action*
Pro-Life Daily*
Ethical foundations of the right to life*
Pro-Life News*
InterLIFE*
R.E.A.L. Women*
Pro-Life Campaign Committee*
Birthright*
Pro Life Demonstration Photo Gallery
