Fruits of the Culture of Life

by Jan Brazill

"By their fruits ye shall know them." As Matthew 7:16 further explains, "every good tree gives good fruit; but the bad tree gives evil fruit."

Our country has many religions calling themselves "Christian." But the denominations with greatest influence with government officials, the ones helping set the policy of our present leaders, are Catholic and Evangelical. These two groups, diverse in ritual and doctrine, have joined in advancing their concept of a "culture of life," demonstrated by their devotion to the unborn of the human species.

This concern for the unborn consistently takes precedence over the needs and welfare of the born, leading many to question whether such teachings yield good or evil fruit. Let's examine the evidence.

In the 1960's, as world population grew at a phenomenal rate, straining resources and creating more poverty and suffering, scientific research derived a solution -- the birth control pill. Had it been promoted worldwide, it would have enabled couples to match the size of their families with their income and space out their children, improving both maternal and infant health. It would have reduced consumption of scarce resources and lessened the present effects of global warming.

The Catholic religion, which had fought early contraceptive measures in this country, actually considered changing its stance, convening the 1966 Papal Commission on Population and Birth Control. A lay member told the Catholic Reporter that the Commission's tacit purpose was to find a way for the Church to approve contraception without undermining Church authority. Even though the Commission voted overwhelmingly that a change was both possible and advisable, some Cardinals convinced the Pope to retain the ban against artificial contraception. The resulting ''Humanae Vitae'' encyclical forbade ''any action which either before, at the moment of or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation.''

Fast forward to the 21st Century. The Church's opposition to contraceptives has required it to redefine the medical definition of pregnancy, naming the point of fertilization as the beginning of life rather than implantation of the fertilized egg. But now clinics performing in vitro fertilization are left with thousands of excess fertilized eggs. Limited by the self-serving definition it created, the Church must oppose any use of these excess eggs that doesn't lead to birth.

Scientists believe that by extracting stem cells from these eggs, they have the potential for curing many of our worst diseases and even reverse spinal cord injuries for our Iraq veterans. By opposing such use, the Church shows that it values a 5-day-old clump of cells more than a suffering human being.

Religion, traditionally considered to help people cope with illness and inspire concern for one's fellow humans, does neither when it demands adherence to this "culture of life" thinking. This mindset opposes anything that would threaten its religious authority, even research to cure disease. It insists that sexual acts be unrestrained by artificial contraception regardless of personal consequences or the devastating effect population growth has on our planet.

Helped by Evangelicals, the Church gradually acquired influence over high government offices, blurring the line of separation between Church and State. Since 2001we have seen embryonic stem cell research effectively halted in this country, cuts in our nation's aid to family planning programs worldwide, and HIV-AIDS programs diluted with religious requirements.

"Evil" fruits, indeed!

Jan Brazil  November 2008

This article was originally published in June of 2006.