CHOOSING LIFE

1. CHOOSING LIFE Chapter 4

2. Life: A Right for All? • The Catholic Church strongly opposes abortion and capital punishment because God calls us to respect the life and dignity of all human beings. • Right to life—most basic human right, without life it is impossible to have other human rights. • Not all people agree that all people have the right to life, however. • Abortion • Capital Punishment

3. Choices: Abortion or Birth? 1973 Supreme Court Case Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in the United States. Ruled woman have a right to privacy, which includes the right to abortion from conception to birth. Today, about 1.3 million abortions in the U.S.

4. Choice: Abortion Supporters of abortion do not argue that it ends a human life. They argue that the decisionabout whether that new human life is a person, with all the rights that go along with personhood, is the mother’s alone. They argue to deny women abortions, you deny them freedom.

5. Supporters of Abortion: When is it necessary? Rape School and career Poverty “I’m just not ready”

6. RAPE Supportersargue that abortion spares women who have been raped from the further trauma of giving birth to the child. It is estimated that about 1% of pregnancies that end in abortion were the result of rape.

7. School and Career Unintended pregnancies is an obstacle to pursuing educational and career goals. Problem in employer and workplace discrimination against woman who become pregnant. Complaints rose 39% between 1992 and 2003.

8. Poverty Argue that it is necessary to keep woman from becoming trapped in poverty. Many woman feel their financial situation leaves them no choice.

9. “I’m just not ready.” Most common reason is simply a feeling of not being prepared to become a mother.

10. Choice: Compassion for All • As Christians we are called to have compassion for ALL people—including those who are not yet born. • Two convictions at the heart of the Catholic approach to life; • Human Life is Sacred • All Human Beings are Equal

11. 1. Human Life is Sacred Each human life is sacred because; It comes from God It is always loved by God It is meant to return to God God alone is responsible for life from its beginning to its end.

12. 2. All Human Beings are Equal All people are created in the image of God All people have equal dignity and an equal claim to fundamental human rights

13. The Consistent Life Ethic Also, known as the seamless garment States that protecting the life and dignity of any person or group requires that we protect the life and dignity of ALL people. The well-being of each person is interrelated with the well-being of all other people.

14. Making It Easier to Choose Life The consistent life ethic suggests in order to end abortion, we must work to change not only our laws but our whole society: Legislation—informed consent laws require abortion clinics to tell clients about what abortion involves—counseling that many women never receive. Changing sexual behavior Addressing poverty Making workplaces and schools more parent friendly Stopping violence against women Encouraging greater involvement by men

15. Crime and Punishment In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment, often called the death penalty. Between 1977 and 2012, there have been 1,284 people were executed, according to the Death Penalty Information Center http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaEGK1bbxCQ&feature=related

16. Supporters of Capital Punishment • Crimes are so violent that in committing them, the offender basically forfeits their human rights, including the right to life. • Certain crimes harm society so much that the only way of restoring justice is to make the offender experience the same level of harm he or she caused society. • Retributive justice—approach to criminal justice where the emphasis is on hurting the offender. • Slogan— “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

17. The Church’s Opposition of Capital Punishment • “The antidote to violence is love, not more violence.” • Two teachings of the Church on capital punishment; • God never stops loving us, even when we reject that love through sin. • Revenge is not the goal of punishment. • Another reason to oppose capital punishment is because it reflects the flaws of our criminal-justice system. • More than 130 death row inmates were cleared of charges against them between 1977 and 2012.

18. From Revenge to Restoration Restorative justice—focuses on restoring the good that has been harmed by criminal activity—for the victims, the community, and the offender too. Characteristics of Restorative justice: Showing equal concern to victims and offenders Working towards the restoration of victims, responding to the victims needs Supporting the offenders while encouraging them to understand, accept, and carry out their obligations Provides opportunity for dialogue, direct or indirect, between victims and offenders

19. Victim Offender Mediation and Dialogue • Victim offender mediation and dialogue—voluntary program that helps criminal offenders and their victims carefully work toward the goal of talking to each other. • Goal of program: • Victim to be heard, offender to take accountability for his or her actions. “It allowed me to get my life back, I became a person I didn’t know I was capable of being.”

20. A “Both-And” Approach To protect the well-being of woman and the well-being of their unborn child, to seek both the well-being of those harmed by the crime and the well-being of the one who causes that harm. We are called, in other words, to build up a whole “culture of life” that looks out for the well-being of ALL people. Choosing life does not take away suffering, but it does make us more fully alive.

21. Key Terms, Definitions to Know Roe vs. Wade Retributive justice Restorative justice Characteristics of Restorative Justice “Both-And” Approach Consistent Life Ethic Victim Offender Mediation Program Two Convictions in regards to life Informed Consent