Why the Pro-Life movement has thus far failed ...
Each year, on the 22nd of January, I see tiny crosses on lawns and fields. The crosses are placed there by pro-life advocates to mark the anniversary of the controversial Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that ushered in legalized abortion in the United States.
Those crosses are not the reason pro-life advocacy has thus far failed to achieve goals, but it indicates one of the significant reasons why the movement has failed.
The pro-life movement is viewed as a Christian movement. And the absence of any religious symbol other than a cross on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade confirms that perceptions are accurate.
I know Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, Pagans and even atheists and agnostics who are pro-life to varying degrees but who have not joined with the Christians because they view pro-life as a movement to integrate Christianity more closely with government policy, to the perceived detriment of non-Christians.
Pro-life advocates have not sought consensus from the general populace. Moreover, fundamentalist Christians have taken the reins of the movement, preaching the only method of birth control acceptable to the movement is abstinence. And, the movement seeks only an end to abortion and appears to turn a blind social eye toward finding a solution to the causes that lead to the abortion decision, chief among them financial and societal, familial and nonsecular ostracism.
When the leaders of the Christian faith realize that life is more important than religion and seek to join with leaders of the other faiths and beliefs, when the leaders of the Christian faith acknowledge that abortion is an issue of humanity, the pro-life movement will begin to find acceptance and success among a greater majority of the populace and, eventually, the judiciary.
3 Comments:
Hi! I didn't know where to write this note (wasn't sure if you'd return to my blog), so I decided to just post it here. Thanks for your comment. Friends who write full-time also tell me they can relate to the loss of pleasure in writing. Thanks for dropping by my blog. I do am enjoying blogging. I hope when I'm 50 I'll still be blogging away like you!
Hi Zhen Mei! You're quite welcome. Thank you for your comment. First off, 50 is not that old!!! Well, maybe it is. ;) I hope that by the time you're 50, you'll be able to do so much more on the internet and reach many more people with your thoughts, ideas and contributions. I can see that soon, many young adults like yourself -- but from countries that have banned or controlled the free speech allowed by the internet -- will hook their nodes to the net and just start speaking their minds. It's great to find people around the world who have the same problems, same interests, same dreams as you. It's like discovering that you're not alone in the world, much less the universe. And just the fact of knowing that others have gone through it, are going through it, and not only lived but grew in body and spirit because of it, is fantastic! Best of luck to you in your editorial career, and your food stand! Now, if I can just hobble my 50-year-old self over to the kitchen, I'm getting what keeps us journalists going when adversity challenges -- coffee! ;)
Hello "Curious in Idaho" -- (For some reason, I feel a bit like "Dear Abby)!
No Jim, I think you've taken my thoughts as an attack on Christians and that's not what I'm about. I'm saying the Christians of the Pro-life movement should join hands with other groups who also are pro-life. Consensus building. Strength in numbers. The other religions bring votes and money.
The Pro-life movement is viewed as a Christian movement. Any when it's viewed that way, Pro-choice advocates will attack the religion first, say it's just another way the Christians are trying to exert power over everyone else and not defend the issue.
There's no other way to say that. Pro-life is more than an issue of someone's religion, it's a humanity issue that affects all religions.
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