A true culture of life and Dylann Roof

This month millions will continue speak out against the 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade by using the anniversary of the decision to participate in Walk for Life and March for Life events across the nation. This incredible show of support for the dignity of human life is one that the American Solidarity is proud to take part in. As our members come together to honor the lives of the unborn, we must recommit to the fullness of our dedication to the dignity and value of Life.

On June 17, 2015 Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel African Methodist Church and, motivated by hate and prejudice, took the lives of nine people. Now, he has been sentenced to death, and we are forced to face the real implications of a genuine dedication to Life. The heinous, and heartbreaking act of Dylann Roof can only face a response of absolute rejection and abhorrence. This willful act of violence brings lasting pain to the local community, to individuals, and to families. It is the kind of terrible injustice that must be stridently renounced in the strongest terms, and which we as a society have an obligation to strive to end.

However, in order to truly honor the value of those lost lives, we must recognize the inherent dignity of all lives – including Dylann Roof’s. A true culture of life cannot pick and choose which lives are at the mercy of the government and which are safe. The death penalty is a terrible and unnecessary act that promotes a culture of death, and emphasizes the disposable nature of those who are seen as burdensome, unwanted, and dangerous. Like abortion, supporting the death penalty means relying on the argument that the “greater good” of society is helped through acts of death. Yet, in truth, every act of death is a wound in society. Surely, in our era of modern amenities and technology, we can find ways to isolate and contain those elements which truly threaten the peace of society. What we cannot afford to do is to treat these lives as though they are disposable, for when one life becomes disposable, they all do.

Let us firmly, for once and for all, make this our steadfast stance: We condemn the act of violence that took those nine lives, we condemn the act of violence that will take Dylann Roof’s life, and we stand together to restore an abundant culture of life to the American political and social landscape.

By 

Amy Anne Foster Munoz