ABORTION AND THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE: A REFLECTION ON THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT AND A CHRISTIAN POLITICAL RESPONSE TO CONTEMPORARY CULTURE OF DEATH

Résumé

The problem of abortion has acquired more pervasive outlook in contemporary global political culture. It is perhaps the only single phenomenon that questions the democratic spirit of our time. As a paradox of democracy, it renders all claims to true democracy spurious. It has become at the international political front a living contradiction to the aspirations of human dignity, rights and freedom. It challenges the Christian conscience on its efforts in evolving a sociocultural order that is responsive to the democratic tenets of human dignity and human rights. Applying the critico-historical method of inquiry, this paper traces the root of the prevailing culture of death of modernity of which abortion is a representative, it argues that egocentrism in the cultural life of contemporary society helps to evolve a political order that foster this culture of death. The work concludes that Christian conscience has a political task in the remedying of this situation.