Prolific pro-life author Charles Rice remembered as friendly and generous.
The pro-life movement lost one its intellectual giants on Feb. 25. Charles E. Rice, a Catholic apologist and Notre Dame Law School professor, was the author of 14 books and countless articles and regular speaker at pro-life events throughout the continent, including Campaign Life Coalition conferences in Canada.
Rice passed away at the age of 83, and is survived by his wife Mary, with whom he had 10 children. Rice studied at College of the Holy Cross, Boston College Law School, and New York University. He taught at Fordham College and, since 1969, Notre Dame. After retiring from Notre Dame in 2000, he continued to teach the “Morality and the Law” course at the law school.
Rice served in the U.S. Marine Corps attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and remained in the Marine Corps Reserve long after active service.
He helped found the Conservative Party of New York in the 1960s, serving as its vice-chairman from 1962 to 1969 when he left the Empire State for Notre Dame in Indiana. The Conservative Party runs a pro-life candidate for statewide office when the Republicans do not nominate pro-life candidates.
A popular teacher who loved talking with students, Rice will be best remembered for his intellectual achievements. Among his many books are The Vanishing Right to Live: An Appeal for a Renewed Reverence for Life (1969), Beyond Abortion: The Theory and Practice of the Secular State (1978), 50 Questions on Abortion, Euthanasia and Related Issues (1986), No Exception: A Pro-Life Imperative (1990) and The Winning Side: Questions on Living the Culture of Life (1990).
No Exception: A Pro-Life Imperative was published by Human Life International and influenced much of the American pro-life movement in terms of political strategy, especially the Personhood Movement which seeks legal protection for all preborn babies from conception. Many pro-life groups had accepted compromise for the rape and incest exception as politically expedient, but the mainstream pro-life movement has mostly repudiated that view.
During the “Pro-Life 2000: No Exceptions, No Compromises, No Apologies” conference in Toronto 15 years ago, Rice gave the keynote address. He said that all human life must be protected and that compromising some human lives to protect others was unacceptable.
In 1983, Rice wrote that “abortion itself is not the ultimate problem; instead, it is merely the symptom of a deeper rebellion against God and against reason.” He explained, “abortion is merely one inevitable result of the denial of God, of the capacity of the mind to know truth and of the intrinsic relation between sex and life.” He argued that “pro-life rhetoric, which treats abortion in secular, constitutional terms – which treats it as a political rather than a religious problem – will get us nowhere.”
Rice also published books on natural law and Catholic education. Rice led the intellectual assault on then-New York governor Mario Cuomo’s claim – made in a speech at Notre Dame – that he was personally opposed to abortion but as a politician could not impose his religious beliefs on others. Rice said such thinking represented a false dichotomy between the personal and public.
CLC national president Jim Hughes said that Rice was “a great resource for the Canadian pro-life movement, never wavering on core principles.” Hughes told The Interim that he sought Rice’s counsel on several pieces of legislation to determine whether it was permissible to support. “He was generous with his time,” which often revolved around whether Catholic politicians could support seemingly pro-life legislation. Hughes recalled Rice saying one time, “stop sending me this crap from so called Catholic politicians! Is no one challenging this nonsense?”
Hughes was among many pro-life and religious leaders who remembered Rice’s deep faith and good cheer. Hughes said Rice would offer encouragement. “Keep the faith and don’t let up in the battle,” Rice would often remind him.
Edmund White of the American Center for Law & Justice, and Rice’s son-in-law, said, “it is not often that one gets to know a person who is the ‘complete package’ – a person of faith, achievement, and humility. My father-in-law was such a man.” Steve Jalsevac of LifeSiteNews said Rice was an “unpretentious, friendly and gifted man.”
