"At this point I would rather have a right-wing Christian decide my fate than an ACLU member."

One pro-life lobby called this the "longest execution in history". In a press conference yesterday President Bush said that legal verdicts should presume to "be in favor of life...the strong had a duty to protect the weak". This is the the essence of civilization. However, a CBS poll last week found that 80 percent of Americans believed it wrong that the congress intervened in this case. It is clear that it was in the judicial arena this case finally was decided. Just as with abortion a judge has set precedent with far reaching ramifications in the debate about the sanctity of life.

This morning's Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has an opinion piece with the view from disabled Americans, many of whom show real fear of the implications of this case. Here are two statements from disabled Americans:

Joe Ford, a Harvard undergraduate with severe cerebral palsy: "Like many others with disabilities, I believe that the American public, to one degree or another, holds that disabled people are better off dead. To put it in a simpler way, many Americans are bigots. A close examination of the facts of the Schiavo case reveals not a case of difficult decisions but a basic test of this country's decency."

Eleanor Smith, a self-described liberal agnostic lesbian, whose childhood bout with polio left her confined to a wheelchair: "At this point I would rather have a right-wing Christian decide my fate than an ACLU member." Ms. Smith protested last week outside the hospice where Mrs. Schiavo lay dehydrating and starving. (Wall Street Journal, "Who Will Remember Terri?", James Taranto)

A godly culture will respect life at both ends of the spectrum and work to protect both the helpless unborn and the disabled adult who cannot speak for themselves. Preserving and protecting the sanctity of life exacts high costs, both in money and personal sacrifice. Such commitment is inherent in our contract with life. To deny this at any level is to invite the sure judgment of the One who gives life, God. In it is not convenient to admit this into our thinking but it must be said. When God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;" (Jeremiah 1:5) he was speaking to great value of each life. We cannot forget this fact as we discuss any part of this great debate.