When George W. Bush vetoed the stem cell bill, he mentioned having respect for life as his main reason.
The life that he has so much respect for in this instance is really just a clump of cells. But if you take real, concrete human life with what philosophers would call ‘interests,’ Bush suddenly seems to have very little respect for life. His disastrous policies have caused untold suffering in real, everyday, and conscious human life, not only in the war in Iraq, but also in the poor, here at home, who apparently don’t merit much attention.

A culture of life would be an amazing thing if it extended beyond embryos and cells with the potential to become human. Sadly, it seems that once you’re out of the womb, you’re suddenly not worthy of the respect accorded to the lives of the unborn.