My IGF colleague Dale Carpenter offers his take on the Terri Schiavo tragedy. While I respectfully disagree with Dale about the appropriateness of (and motivations behind) the congressional action, I think Dale is correct in highlighting the growing importance of the "culture of life" concept among social conservatives.
Dale writes:
One could conceive a "culture of life" that affirmed the equality of gays. Such a culture might even show a special concern for the dignity and equality of gays, as it would for any marginal persons, like the disabled or the dying. But that is not the culture favored by religious conservatives.
It is true that "culture of life" can become something of a grab bag that's invoked with animus by the religious right to, among other things, oppose gay equality. But we should also appreciate the widespread emotional appeal of affirming those aspects of our culture that embrace and enhance life, as opposed to those aspects that disregard, degrade or destroy life and which could rightly be seen as part of a "culture of death" - including, for instance, partial-birth abortion on demand and promiscuous, unprotected, drugged-out sex.
As with the similar "family values" debate, the key here (as I
think Dale suggests) is to fight for the inclusion within
what's recognized as the "culture of life" of gay families and
responsible gay sexuality while effectively making the case against
homophobia and legal inequality. But we should be wary of
dismissing the "culture of life" concept outright as an inherently
evil ploy without redeeming value.
--Stephen H. Miller