In my world, you don’t get to call yourself “pro-life” and be against common-sense gun control – like banning public access to the kind of semiautomatic assault rifle, designed for warfare, that was used recently in a Colorado theater. You don’t get to call yourself “pro-life” and want to shut down the Environmental Protection Agency, which ensures clean air and clean water, prevents childhood asthma, preserves biodiversity and combats climate change that could disrupt every life on the planet. You don’t get to call yourself “pro-life” and oppose programs like Head Start that provide basic education, health and nutrition for the most disadvantaged children.. The term “pro-life” should be a shorthand for respect for the sanctity of life. But I will not let that label apply to people for whom sanctity for life begins at conception and ends at birth. What about the rest of life? Respect for the sanctity of life, if you believe that it begins at conception, cannot end at birth. Thomas L. Friedman
About This Quote

While a person can oppose a specific action without opposing the whole concept of life, the writer here is making a point about how one cannot accept a label that is based on taking a particular action. For instance, one can be pro-life and still believe that abortion is the most extreme form of violence against women. In this case, you can be pro-choice and still feel it is morally wrong to terminate a pregnancy. This points out the problem with using the term pro-life as a means to promote one's own agenda without letting go of their own prejudices or moral judgments.

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