In religion and ethics, inviolability or sanctity is a principle of implied protection regarding aspects of sentient life which are said to be holy, sanctified, or otherwise of such value that they are not to be violated.The concept of inviolability is an important tie between the ethics of religion and the ethics of law, as each seeks justification for its principles as based on both purity or natural concept, as well as in universality of application.
Sanctity of life
The phrase Sanctity of life refers to the idea that life is sacred,
argued mainly by the pro-life side in political and moral debates over such
controversial issues as abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and the "right to die"
in the United States, United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries. Although the
phrase was used primarily in the 19th Century in Protestant discourse, after World War II
the phrase has been appropriated for Roman Catholic moral theology and, following
Roe v. Wade, Evangelical moral rhetoric.
In contrast to the consistent life ethic, the sanctity of life principle is usually
reserved for non-criminal human beings. Critics argue that the sanctity of life principle is
undermined by its inconsistencies—in particular its approbation of thedeath penalty and
lack of unswerving support for such concepts as vegetarianism, vegans, and especially
animal rights.In Western thought, sanctity of life is usually applied solely to the human species
(Anthropocentrism, sometimes called Dominionism), in marked contrast to many schools of Eastern
philosophy, which often hold that all animal life is sacred?in some cases to such a degree that, for
example, practitioners of Jain carry brushes with which to sweep insects from their path, lest they
inadvertently treed upon them. Sanctity of life is a "plank" in the platforms of conservative parties
in the United States such as the Republican Party and the Constitution Party.