Un-Seamly

The "Seamless Garment" Subversion of the Pro-Life Cause

Background:

Rebecca Bratten Weiss describes herself as an eco-farmer, writer, homeschooling mother, and Catholic, intersectional pro-life feminist. Until recently, she was an adjunct literature professor at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio (interest, gender and women writers). But her "self-appointed mission," as she writes at CatholicWomenSpeak.com, "is Arguing Politics on the Internet." Matthew Tyson is a writer, marketing strategist, Catholic convert, and pro-life leftist.

Weiss and Tyson say that pro-life efforts to make abortion illegal are futile and that people who want to protect the unborn should focus instead on changing the economic and social conditions that drive women to abortion. In October 2016, they founded The New Pro-Life Movement (NPLM) as a place for pro-life-minded activists who agree with them to unite, and they invite pro-choice-minded people to dialogue with them in pursuit of middle ground.

Reason for Surveillance:

Tyson articulated their manifesto. "First and foremost, we believe all humans have an absolute, inherent right to life, and we believe this right spans from conception to natural death." This is a strong pro-life statement, seamlessly consistent with the Judeo-Christian life ethic. But Tyson's very next sentence is an entirely different matter: "This includes both the protection and the sustainment of life at all stages" (emphasis his). This reflects a noble sentiment, and if NPLM activists were going out to serve and provide for their fellow man's life-sustaining needs, that, too, would be commendable and consistent with Christian love.

But that's not what they're about. Rather, Weiss and Tyson take a veritable laundry list of leftist political agenda items, bundle them together under the pro-life imprimatur, and then effectively declare, This is what it really means to be pro-life. So then, according to Tyson, in order to speak for the unborn and sustain life at all its stages, we must have "greater access to healthcare, pre- and post-natal care, mandatory paid leave, job protection, equal wages, sexual education, and stronger comprehensive support systems." This strategy is called "the Seamless Garment," "Whole Life," or "Consistent Life Ethic."

Tyson commendably affirms "the use of evangelization, science, and philosophy to cultivate a society that recognizes, respects, and cherishes life in the womb." But he's also clear that "in order to cultivate a true culture of life, we must be active socially and politically." And that means embracing the whole leftist mother lode. The only thing distinguishing this approach from garden variety, utopian leftism is that these activists denounce abortion (which I think stands as backdoor evidence of the success of the pro-life cause.)

Most Unseemly Conduct:

If you think Tyson's necessary conditions are a tall order, take note; he's the Mr. Congeniality of the duo. Rebecca Weiss's case for the NPLM is reminiscent of last century's Communists: "Abortion cannot be viewed outside the larger context of a society that is radically utilitarian, capitalistic, and unwelcome to life." Conditions she rails against include (but are not limited to): poverty, lack of parental leave, poor housing situations, rape culture, inadequate medical care, employers who won't employ mothers, grueling work hours, lack of access to affordable childcare, hostile communities, misogynistic religious organizations, institutional education, environmental degradation, animal cruelty, factory farming, gun violence, the pro-life right, anyone who supports Donald Trump, and the Republican platform, which is "horribly and boldly anti-life."

If that's her opinion, fine. But none of this is about valuing life or finding common ground. This is about seething rage against something that has nothing to do with abortion. This neo movement is a patchwork garment the pro-life cause can do without.