Rose Evans, an advocate for the consistent ethic of life and contributor to Life Matters Journal, passed away on April 13 at the age of 87. She was part of the organization Consistent Life for most of its history, participating in the organization as it evolved from Pro-Lifers for Survival, an anti-nuclear pro-life group, into its current form as a group working to promote a broad spectrum of life issues united by the consistent ethic of life. Rose served at different times as president and secretary of Consistent Life and published the magazine Harmony, a publication similar to Life Matters Journal.
A teacher for people with developmental disabilities, Rose helped to create housing for developmentally disabled adults and co-founded the Susan Snyder Center, a program for such adults “which emphasized respect and empowerment.” In addition to her work for Harmony and later Life Matters Journal, Rose wrote a children’s book, Friends of All Creatures, on animal rights advocacy from the time of Buddha to the present day.
An Episcopalian, Rose cited Jesus’ statement that “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25: 40, New International Version) as a guiding principle. As she said, “Put it any way you want—all people are of value. We must come together and work to protect life.”
Of those who worked to uphold a consistent ethic of life, Rose commented, “I think this movement is the hope of our country and hope for the world—where all of us, from all political sides, will become good servants of peace, justice and life.”