Rhetorical use of “sacredness of life” language in the last 40 years of culture wars has been highly damaging. The term has become a cudgel in the fight over abortion, and sometimes stem cells, biotechnology, and end-of-life health care issues.
It is often deployed by politicians with little sensitivity to other issues. Because of its heavy use by conservative Christians, progressive Christians have tended to recoil whenever the term is used. This has ironically kept them from accessing the extraordinary power of this conviction for causes that merit it.
Any coherent use of the concept that “human life is sacred” must mean that each and every human being has elevated status or rank and must be treated in accord with their status. When Christians say that human life is sacred, most of the time what they are really saying is that each and every human being, without exception, has been designated by God as a creature of incalculable worth.
This divine designation has moral implications for us, demanding that we adopt a posture of respect and even reverence toward human beings, and that we act to protect human life from wanton destruction or desecration. It should also include a tenderhearted desire to see human beings flourish, not just survive. ABP
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