759 - Peace & Life: Good Writings! - May 29, 2026
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
A Fantastic Article in Commonweal
In a May 22 article in Commonweal, a Catholic journal, Timothy Kirchoff mentions the consistent life ethic several times, and opines from the perspective of Democratic Party electoral politics:
While a couple of prominent people have suggested Democrats would have a better winning strategy if they weren’t so dead set against pro-life Democrats running in districts where that’s more likely to win, Kirchoff points out that thinking of that as nothing but sound strategy leaves pro-lifers seen as moral monsters who need to be tolerated. He makes a good case for why the consistent life ethic would instead be the moral high ground.
Another Fantastic Article in The Hill
The Hill is a prominent US political website read by many lawmakers and government officials. Our own Carol Crossed with Kristen Day, executive director of our member group Democrats for Life, had this published on May 14:
Their point:
Too often in American politics, we only object to overreach when it affects our own side. When the other side is targeted, we call it “accountability.” When our side is targeted, we suddenly rediscover the importance of civil liberties. Democrats who were comfortable with FACE when it pointed at pro-life grandmothers may feel differently now that it points at journalists and anti-war protesters. This should bother everybody.
We should not wait for the next administration to shift the targets again. If a single statute can be used aggressively against pro-life activists under one president and against anti-ICE protesters under another, the problem is not who is wielding the weapon, but that the weapon exists.
Pope Leo: Artificial Intelligence Should Be Disarmed
Pope Leo has put out his first encyclical placed in the Social Doctrine tradition, called Magnifica Humanitas, meaning magnificent humanity. Paragraph 55 makes a plea for the right to life; paragraph 57 directly addresses women’s rights. The rights of the poor and marginalized are discussed throughout. Chapter 5 is quite focused on war and modern forms of slavery.
Of particular interest, from paragraph 192:
Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the “just war” theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated.
The major point of the encyclical is to call for moral consideration of artificial intelligence and similar digital technology. While there are creative uses that serve the common good, this is likely only if it’s democratically controlled, not top-down. Pope Leo refers to “disarming” especially for any military uses, where we leave it to machines to decide to kill people, but also to using it for other forms of domination.
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Quote of the Week
Timothy Kirchoff
Commonweal Magazine, May 22, 2026
Despite being rejected by both parties, Cardinal Bernardin’s consistent life ethic has survived. Acknowledging the value and basic human dignity of those-not-yet-born can lend more credibility and urgency to efforts to improve the social safety net, ensure quality health care for everyone, and protect the environment, especially in red states. On a rhetorical level, Republican failures and hypocrisy on all of these issues can be laid bare more effectively when the alternative is a pro-life Democrat.
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