Pro-Life and Pro-Choice - Can't We Just Get Along?

There is a lot of bickering, back-biting, and name calling on Twitter these days between people in the pro-life and pro-choice movements. As far as I can see, these are the primary goals of the pro-life and pro-choice movements:

1. The goal of the pro-life movement is to protect unborn human life.
 
2. The goal of the pro-choice movement is to protect the rights of women experiencing unwanted pregnancies.

Believe it or not, these are both noble goals. Although many people in the pro-choice movement might think so, I seriously doubt that there are many pro-life people who would say their primary goal is to take away the rights of women who are experiencing unwanted pregnancies and "force" them to have their babies. Although many pro-life people might think so, I seriously doubt that there are many pro-choice people who would say their primary goal is to murder unborn babies.

Let's keep this in mind, pro-life and pro-choice people, as we engage each other in debates over the abortion rights issue. If we do, our discussions might be productive, rather than destructive.

To all pro-life and pro-choice people, I leave you with the first reading from today's Catholic Mass. It is one of my favorite scripture readings from the first letter of John, in the Christian (New) testament:


My dear people,
let us love one another
since love comes from God
and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can never have known God,
because God is love.
God’s love for us was revealed
when God sent into the world his only Son
so that we could have life through him;
this is the love I mean:
not our love for God,
but God’s love for us when he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

1 John 4:7-10

Peace be with you, and with your spirit!