Torture in any of its forms can never be accepted. We must never allow for excuses or qualifications to suggest that what is torture really is not. We must put a halt to the development and implementation of the culture of death before we can make for a victory for a culture of life. As long as we continue to let the culture of death continue to ramrod new objectifications of rightful subjects in the world, death and its destruction of human persons will continue to thrive. When society can agree upon the need to defend the dignity of the human person in one situation or another, that there is an absolute line which cannot be crossed, then we have the means by which we can engage society on other life issues. Don’t give the culture of death a victory on the issue of torture. This debate can still be won. We must say no. We must as a society agree that there is a line which cannot be crossed. A great number of people, including those who are not pro-life, can see that line in the torture debate. It is a great starting point. Once we can agree here, then we can work on moving it back until people realize the line should never be crossed, seeing how the issues inter-relate and are in fact one and the same (the dignity of the human person).
While it is understandable why President Obama and his administration would not like to start a political battle with G.W. Bush and his administration, for fear that this would begin a new kind of political war, one must point out that his about-face in relation to torture and the prosecution of those who promoted torture under G.W. Bush is an act of cowardice. One should be willing to let one’s own actions stand under review, and not let the fear of future prosecution get in the way of engaging the mistakes of the past. Until we get someone in office willing to do what is needed, politics as usual will include a defense of the indefensible, as usual.
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