About Events Topics Resources

About Events Topics Resources
Pro-Life Progressivism
Acton Institute Powerblog

Pro-Life Progressivism

by Kevin Schmiesing • March 21, 2006

Last spring I participated in a symposium at the University of St. Thomas School of Law on “pro-life progressivism.” The proceedings have now been published in the school’s law review, which is available here.

To simplify, the conference was designed to explore the possibility of extending the political and intellectual appeal of a position that is against abortion and the death penalty, and left-leaning on economic policy. To the organizers’ credit, they invited the airing of opinions critical of pro-life progressivism from various perspectives. My role was to question the “progressive” part of the equation, which I did, somewhat indirectly, with a brief history of “conservative” Catholic social thinkers.

Not part of the conference, but included in the published journal, is an extremely interesting piece by Patrick Shrake. Shrake argues that the privacy jurisprudence of the last 40 years should be overturned and that the kind of state anti-contraception laws that started the mess could be upheld. Catholics and others who both accept the moral case against artificial birth control and are wary of an activist state will view the article ambivalently, but it is at the least a serious and thought-provoking argument.

Kevin Schmiesing

Kevin Schmiesing

Kevin Schmiesing, Ph.D., is a research fellow for the research department at the Acton Institute. He is a frequent writer on Catholic social thought and economics, is the author of American Catholic Intellectuals, 1895-1955 (Edwin Mellen Press, 2002) and is most recently the author of Within the Market Strife: American Catholic Economic Thought from Rerum Novarum to Vatican II (Lexington Books, 2004). Dr. Schmiesing holds a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in history from Franciscan University ofSteubenville. Author of Within the Market Strife and American Catholic Intellectuals, 1895—1955 (2002), he serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Markets & Morality. He is also executive director of CatholicHistory.net.

Posted in Public PolicyTagged catholic social thought, contraception, pro-life, progressivism, university of st. thomas

Related posts

  • ‘Get Your Hands Dirty’: The Importance of a Rightly Ordered Life
  • When Life Has Killed the American Dream
  • PowerLinks 12.22.16
  • What standard should we use to judge school choice?

About

Our Mission & Core Principles Awards, Scholarships, and Grants Acton Research Our Team Careers News Internships

Events

Events Calendar Conference Series Lecture Series Acton University

Publications

Acton Commentary Acton Notes Religion & Liberty Religion & Liberty Transatlantic Journal of Markets & Morality International Public Policy

Multimedia

Videos Audio Radio Free Acton Curricula Films Mobile Apps

Shop

Donate

Contact Us

  • Italiano
  • Español
  • Deutsch
  • Français
  • Português
  • 简体中文
  • لعربية
© 2017 Acton Institute | Privacy Policy