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CONSISTENT ETHIC

Protecting life - and lots of it

Speaker to focus on nuclear war With October being Respect Life Month, many Catholics may spend their time advocating to end abortion, prevent euthanasia or promote respect for people with disabilities. 

But how many will think about nuclear warfare?

"Growing up during the Cold War, this seemed to me to be the preeminent issue of our time and in many ways it still is," said Dr. Lawrence Wittner, a professor at The University at Albany, who will speak on "The Necessity of Nuclear Abolition" Oct. 27 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar. 

For decades, many Catholics have counted nuclear disarmament - or at least arms control - as a central issue in the pro-life spectrum. 

Generally, however, attention to the consistent ethic of life has generally swirled around abortion, birth control, embryonic stem cell research, assisted suicide and reproductive technology.

Nuclear disarmament had moved down the list until recent scares over the bomb-making capabilities of North Korea and Iran. 

Atomic shadow 
Dr. Wittner argues that the topic touches on every human life.

"Warfare has reached such a level that people can simply end the human race - end all life on earth," he continued. "Therefore, I felt when I was dealing with the question of a nuclear arms race I was dealing with a central issue, if not the central issue of the modern world."

The author of "Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarm-ament Movement," published in June, Dr. Wittner will discuss the dangers of nuclear warfare and the need to do away with it.

"The focus is going to be on nine lessons from the past that lead to the conclusion that we must get rid of nuclear weapons," Dr. Wittner told The Evangelist.

Dr. Wittner teaches the history of American foreign policy at SUNY- Albany. He has spoken at numerous colleges and universities, as well as at the United Nations and the Norwegian Nobel Institute. He has also given talks elsewhere in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Into action
Dr. Wittner said the subject of nuclear weapons and warfare always captivated him - as have the reasons why nuclear weapons need to be abolished.

"They don't spare civilians," he explained. "They are simply weapons of mass destruction. They don't really protect us. In many ways, they make the world more dangerous. They open the possibility of our own nation's destruction."

Dr. Wittner hopes to spread that message: "At this point in history, we have a strong opportunity to move beyond past policies of arming to wage war against other nations and to recognize that the arms race has gone so far that we're at a tipping point," he said.

"We can either proceed down to the point of doom, or we can pull back and create a more peaceful world. My hope is that we create a more peaceful world."

(10/22/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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