On the surface it would seem counterintuitive that conservatives, who generally are against abortion and euthanasia, would not be supportive of artificially prolonging life. But in other ways, it makes perfect sense.

After all, the party’s large evangelical base has a simple, sacred objection in Genesis 6:3: “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” Or consider Pope Benedict’s 2010 homily in which he warned against the dangers of artificially extending human life: “Humanity would become extraordinarily old, [and] there would be no more room for youth. Capacity for innovation would die, and endless life would be no paradise.”

Unsurprisingly, an extreme extension of human life by technological means is likely to be viewed as antithetical to Christian, and perhaps general Abrahamic, dogma. But it is perfectly in agreement with conservative lust for individual liberty, and it is at this intersection of faith and politics that the American right will be forced to prioritize its principles. God is important, and freedom only slightly less so.