Beyond abortion: the looming battle over death in the 'culture wars'.
By concentrating on abortion, the culture wars have avoided facing a crisis about the end of life. This paper explores four themes: (1) the technological transformation of birth and death into matters of decision, not matters of fact; (2) abortion as the nexus of Eros (sex) with Thanatos (death); (3) the real crisis, conveniently masked by our obsession with sex, looming at the end of life, not at its beginning; (4) the surplus-repression that protects us from assuming responsibility for choosing between life and death.
Evans
James
J
Webster University, Department of Management, St. Louis, Missouri 63119-3147, USA. evansja@webster.edu
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010684:Philosophy; D012723:Sex; D013795:Thanatology; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000941:ethics*