#414 Necessity Defense, Veganism - June 8, 2018
Upcoming Conferences: Chances to Learn and Network We remind you that the Pro-life Women’s Conference is to be held in St. Louis June 22-24. Check for our table there, and Rachel MacNair will be presenting on our Grassroots Defunding: Finding Alternatives to Planned Parenthood campaign. Rehumanize International has announced a “save the date” for its consistent-life themed annual conference: October 12-14, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Necessity Defense Works, for Once It’s a simple principle in law: actions that might otherwise be illegal aren’t considered so if the action was a “necessity” for keeping any people from being harmed or killed. People engaged in civil disobedience have for decades tried to use the defense in court, especially in attempts to interfere with nuclear weapons or with abortion. It’s rare that a judge will allow the defense to be presented at all. Now we have a case in Washington DC where a sit-in at an abortion clinic, with attempts to persuade people to leave, did persuade an individual and a couple to leave. Assuming they don’t return, two lives were saved. The police arrested those sitting in – but then refused to charge them, and let them go! They cited the necessity defense.
Consistent-Life Speakers Thinking of speakers for summer months and preparing for the Fall semester, we remind everyone that we have an excellent set of speakers you can call on to help explain, and answer questions about, aspects of the Consistent Life Ethic.
Any More Consistent-Life Candidates? Anyone listening to U.S. news knows that primaries are in full swing and we’ll be in for intensive election news until the final votes on November 6. We don’t endorse candidates, but we’d like to pass on to the consistent-life community what information we have. We’ve identified a few consistent-life candidates (mainly for lower office or third party), and we’ll be sharing that once we’ve collected some more. We’d like to offer information on as many as we can, so if you know of any in your locale, please let us know at weekly@consistent-life.org. We’d also love to hear about any consistent-life impact, small or large, in elections in other countries.
Latest CLN Blog Post: Veganism and Pro-Lifeism
Kristin Monahan shows issue connections between compassion to animals and to unborn babies by offering Parallels of Veganism and Pro-Lifeism.
Quotation of the Week Phramaha Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi Post Today (a Thai newspaper), November 20, 2010
In the Buddhist view, both having an abortion and performing an abortion amount to murder. Those involved in abortions will face distress in both this life and the next because their sins will follow them. But we need to adjust the old-fashioned way of teaching morality. We can’t only say that abortion is a sin, that abortion is bad karma. We also need to understand the problems and worries that lead women to such a destructive decision. Monks must not only tell people that abortion is a sin, but we have to find solutions too.
Responses/News tips/Questions to share are all welcome.
Send to weekly@consistent-life.org.
