Quality or Quantity? Part I

Today in my Spanish class, of all places, I got to thinking about what the pro-life stance is for quality of life. We read a drama about two former lovers who meet years later, in their elderly years, and as we discussed the themes in the short play, my spanish professor asked us: Is it more important [to us] to have a longer life or a better quality of life? At first, the question seemed easy. When she spoke of domestic life, and wanting to be able to have a sound mind, be able to dress and feed yourself, it is easy to say that you would rather die than continue living what appears to be a "low-quality" life. But as a pro-lifer, I don't think that is an easy answer to give. Somehow, that answer has come to be commonplace and respected among us when referring to a comfortable retiree. But let's take a moment, think through this philosophy, and see if it is sound.
What about a severely disabled person who is not able to communicate, to dress themselves or cook their own food. Does that mean their quality of life is less? Of course not! What about infants? Is their quality of life less because they are unable to dress themselves, to feed themselves, and for a while, transport themselves, or even walk? Of course not!
Ah. So when we think this through, we cannot in go conscience, say that life is only worth living with the way WE might define quality. This is no longer a suitable answer.

That is all I have time for at the moment, but I want to continue blogging my thoughts on how we can approach defining "quality of life", talking a little bit about what "quantity of life" may mean and excamining that position, and seeing where pro-lifers and/or Christians should stand.