SO WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "PRO-LIFE PROGRESSIVE"?

To me, the value of reverencing life covers many issues.  Abortion is indeed a pro-life issue.  But so is war (especially civilian "collateral damage").  People dying from starvation is also a pro-life issue.  People dying from preventable diseases is a pro-life issue.

I'm greatly dismayed when I see a political faction try to claim the label "pro-life" based on one issue only, while advocating so many other pro-death policies.  A lot of Christians have the feeling that they have to vote for candidates whose policies have led to thousands of deaths, simply because those candidates are opposed to abortion.

It's time for pro-life liberals to make their voices heard.  Check out the Consistent Life coalition.  There's also a nice bumper sticker that you can get for free.

UPDATE: Check out Pro-Lifers for Peace and Justice, a new webring, message board and e-list for pro-life liberals!

Comments

[obeah]

Hi... I got here via a comment you made at The Gutless Pacifist. It's great to see another pro-life liberal out there! I have come to believe that not only is the consistent life ethic right, it is necessary if we're going to permanently change people's minds about abortion. How could anybody who supports abortion become convinced that they need to respect and protect human life, when they're being told that by someone as set on the taking of human life as George W. Bush?

Your blog looks very interesting so far.

[Joan]

Thank you.

I think the reason that our point of view gets so little attention is because getting your message out requires organization and money. We're not going to attract money or organizational support from either of the Big Two political parties. The mainstream left accepts no compromise when it comes to a woman's right to choose, and the right would not want to help publicize the fact that there are liberals who are really more pro-life than the Republicans are.

I'm trying to do the little bit I can with a blog and a bumper sticker. I guess we can just build it bit by bit.

[Catherine]

Oo! I have that bumper sticker on my car!

It's good to know that there are other pro-life "liberal" Christians out there. So often the "liberals" consider Christians to be mindless lemmings (at best) and Christians consider liberals to be agents of evil. That's so prevalent across the Internet that it's sickening. Hopefully things like these web rings can help counter balance that. </soapbox>

Thanks for letting me know about your blog!

[GunTotingLib]

Nice site. You've been blogmarked! I *knew* I wasn't alone!

[Karama]

Thanks for this site and your thoughtful posts. I found your blog through the Coalition for Darfur, and I'll be back.

[Liz]

I too seem to have been one of those who thought I was the only one.....I was involved with the mainstrema left (and still am to a large extent, I write sometimes for publications, still demonstrate and even debate things with those guys, they know my views on abortion now). However, as they tend to be unwilling to compromise on their position I do feel isolated and have only come accross a couple of people with my views (I live in Britain). I think maybe there are people who feel the same way but are afraid to speak out due to fear of being ousted by their pro choice buddies. It took me a good while to speak out, and though I'm not sorry I did it wasn't easy.

Liz

[Ben]

But without death, there would be no redemption.

[Shelly]

How could anybody who supports abortion

I have to raise a red flag here. I don't think you will meet ANYONE who is pro-choice who wants a woman to get as many abortions as they want. I'd dare say if you asked anyone who is pro-choice, they would tell you they'd rather abortion be used only as a last resort, and preferably not as birth control. All "pro-choice" means is that someone believes it is up to only the woman and her doctor whether or not she should have an abortion, that it shouldn't be up the government (and one made up mostly of men who will never experience what pregnancy is like).

(In case you're wondering, yes, I am pro-choice; but mainly for health reasons, and in regards to cases of rape and incest.)

[LAmom]

that it shouldn't be up the government

That's sort of one of my "red flag" phrases. People who are pro-life (or "anti-choice" as some call it) don't feel that the government should get to decide whether or not a woman gets an abortion. We feel that nobody should get to decide whether that fetus lives or dies.

(An exception to that is if the mother's own life is in jeopardy because of the pregnancy. Everybody should have the right to save their own life, even at the expense of someone else's.)

[Jerry C. Stanaway]

I'm a pro-life progressive but opposition to abortion is non-negotiable. If someone is not pro-life on abortion then that person is not pro-life. No one can make up for being pro-abortion just by being progressive on other issues.