Series: LFL National Conference
Keywords: wesley j. smith, lfl national conference, personhood, human exceptionalism Speakers: Wesley J. Smith

Detail:

Wesley J. Smith, noted author and bioethicist, gave a wide-ranging Friday-night keynote address on the theme The Need For Good News: The Death Culture and Ways to Fight It

Mr. Smith stressed the need to contrast the culture of life with the culture of death. He said the culture of death is “very powerful and wants us to believe that being a human being doesn’t matter … and that is very dangerous.” He said much of society is all about eliminating suffering at all costs, which has led to support for abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia, yet “love is word you don’t often see the other side use too often … eliminating suffering quickly morphs into eliminating the sufferer.”

To counteract the culture of death, Smith said we need to offer both hope and facts because “the facts are on our side.” He said, “when an embryo or fetus is called ‘not human’ it is not rational!” He warned of Personhood Theory that sets arbitrary guidelines for who is and who is not a “person.” In reality, he said, “Personhood Theory tells us who we can kill and get a good night’s sleep.”