First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans
Sunday, November 28, 2010
We have all heard about the philosophy or ethic called “pro-life,” espoused by the Catholic Church and by some conservative Christian denominations, which covers their views on abortion and the death penalty. It is also sometimes called “the seamless garment” philosophy, since it is seen by its adherents as being “all of a piece” or completely consistent.
In an essay last summer for the online blog sponsored by the progressive Jewish publication Tikkun, UU seminarian Amanda Udis-Kessler posits an alternative to the pro-life ethos from the religious liberal perspective, which she calls “a pro-lives ethic.” I am grateful to Board president Max Oeschger for bringing the article to my attention, and grateful also for his patience in waiting for a sermon on the topic. (If this inspires or encourages anyone else in the church to recommend sermon ideas to the Worship Team and me, please feel free. We welcome suggestions on topics, and forwarded articles.)
What is en ethic of pro-lives? Udis-Kessler defines it thusly:
A pro-lives ethic is suspicious of principles, abstractions, and institutions, and challenges them when they do not support human and planetary wellbeing.
An ethic of pro-lives calls into account structures, systems, and individuals – what St. Paul called in scriptures “principalities and powers” – that prevent human beings, other living creatures, and the earth from being whole and healthy. Whenever a rule or law or custom inhibits or hinders the flourishing of abundant life, a pro-lives advocate would feel called, compelled, to step forward and make things right.
In her article, Udis-Kessler references an ethic of pro-lives specifically in regards to pedophilia by Catholic priests, opposition to the ordination of women, and abortion. In some respects, however, this sets up an easy, even a too-easy target, for Unitarian Universalists. For a variety of reasons, from congregational polity to our screening and training process for would-be ministers, and that we have no requirement for celibacy, our denomination has not experienced widespread abuse of minors by ministers. Secondly, women have been ordained and accepted as pastors in our movement since the mid-1800s, and finally, our denomination has been on record for decades as supporting a woman’s right to choose.
Thus, the three issues that are cited in the Tikkun article don’t have much resonance personally for UUs. It is far too simple for us to deplore how these particular issues are being handled by more conservative people of faith. In order for an ethic of pro-lives to resonate with Unitarian Universalists, we will need to raise other concerns and see how they fit with such an ethic.
What else would go into a pro-lives ethic? How can we religious liberals craft our own “seamless garment” of ethical consistency?
First and foremost, I think that active support for full human rights for bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and intersexed persons – including equal marriage rights – has to be part of being truly pro-lives. Only such a position can keep thousands of human lives from, in Udis-Kessler’s words, being broken “by the world’s thousand injustices.” A pro-lives religious liberal feels called to be part of the repair of this terrible brokenness – in Hebrew, tikkun olam, to heal the broken world.
It may well be that the state of Louisiana will be one of the last to endorse equal marriage rights; indeed, Louisiana did not ratify the 19th Amendment giving women the vote until 1970 – at least we beat out Mississippi, which didn’t ratify until 1971! But even so, that does not negate the imperative for religious liberals working from a pro-lives ethic to actively stand up for it.
Another issue much in the news seems to call for the application of the pro-lives ethic, and that is immigration. Millions of people are adversely and negatively affected by our current unjust system. Families are torn apart; committed partnerships are split; children are forced to live away from their parents or one parent. It has been fashionable in some quarters to demonize undocumented immigrants, as though every single one were criminals or terrorists. But we know that is not true – and we also know that the simple fact of being in some way undocumented does NOT make one a criminal, despite what is claimed by demagogues on the Right.
Here in New Orleans, our recovery from the Storm would have been even slower if it had not been for the skilled and unskilled labor of many, many immigrants, some of whom were and are undocumented. From our pulpit last holiday season, we heard moving personal testimony from local day laborers about their lives here, about their victimization at the hands of employers, the police, street thugs, the criminal justice system, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known familiarly as ICE. Rev. Jim of Community Church and I have been active on the issue of Wage Theft, and have worked with local organizations in getting fair treatment of workers. A few church members from both churches have been a part of the local actions, and we’re always looking for even more of our members to get directly involved.
In response to the anti-immigrant legislation passed in Arizona, delegates to the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly last year voted to keep our 2012 GA in Arizona and instead of conducting business as usual, to turn that event into a week-long, fully realized educational opportunity and protest demonstration in favor of reforming current immigration laws. The UUA will be working with local Latino and pro-reform organizations to bring both light and pressure to this issue. You will be hearing more about this as we draw closer and plans get set in motion. I hope that many of you will feel called to be a part of it in whatever ways you can, from being there in person, to supporting those that go, to getting involved locally.
A third issue that fits into the rubric of pro-lives is the plight of people unable to find affordable housing. In a society devoted to flourishing, abundant life for all its citizens, homelessness would be unknown. While some conservative commentators scoff that there is no constitutional right to a home, I hope that all religious liberals would disagree. Every human being has the right to live in a decent home. It does not have to be luxurious or spacious, but it should not be under an overpass or in an abandoned post-Katrina building. And by “home,” I am not referring to a mission or a shelter. That America and New Orleans does not ensure that the poorest people have decent places to live is a scandal and a tragedy.
Closely related to homelessness is the is sue of lack of affordable and accessible care for mental illnesses. Locally, UNITY for the homeless, a consortium of some 60 groups working on homelessness in the greater New Orleans area, has found that over 86% of squatters in derelict buildings and houses are mentally ill. This is a shocking number. Pre-Katrina, many were receiving regular care and maintenance of their medications in the old Charity Hospital, but today, most get no care and no meds at all. What are poor people and working class people supposed to do with a loved one with mental illness? Why is there not a louder outcry from those with means to rectify this situation? How does lack of decent affordable mental health care promote abundant life?
Of course, in one sermon we cannot exhaust this topic. Once we commit ourselves to an ethic of pro-lives, we find that many social and justice issues are connected -- from racial oppression to despoiling the environment, to economic justice. I hope that some of you are thinking now of concerns that fit into a pro-lives rubric, and how they are all connected.
I know that I have sometimes felt at a loss when in discussions with those whose religious perspective is more conservative than mine. I often felt principled but inconsistent. Having the pro-lives framework is helpful to me. I feel like now I have something to say, a good answer, when I’m in one of those conversations.
In future, I plan to talk about how my religious faith brings me to a pro-lives stance, a perspective that values the enhancement and wholeness of lives already being lived in the world, and this principled viewpoint connects many different issues. I hope this brief look at the pro-lives ethic helps you as well. AMEN—ASHE—SHALOM—SALAAM—NAMASTE—BLESSED BE!
