Welcome to those crazy Neo-con friends of mine! I tried to hide myself from your scorn, but o' how I have failed. This post may make you happier with me, may not. What'm I gonna do?
Christianity (at least the orthodox variety in evangelicalism of which I am a part) is almost universally "pro-life." In fact, in many denominations, being "pro-life" is a requirement for membership - meaning that to call oneself a member of a church, one must be "pro-life." I find this to be a just and admirable quality of the church. They are starting to go the direction of saying that faith should play an active and vital part in one's politics.
However, I have a bit of a qualm with how we define "pro-life." Pro-life is almost always, in all circumstances associated with abortion. To be "pro-life" means to be against abortion. This is where the definition stops though. To be "pro" means to be "for" something - in the case of "pro-life" it means to be "for life." However, we have limited the meaning of "pro-life" to being against abortion. It is not "pro-life" but "contra-abortion."
I think that it maybe time to rethink what we mean by "pro-life."
The word "pro-life" obviously originates in the wake of Roe v. Wade - the case where the Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal to make abortion illegal. "Pro-lifers" then begin to make known that they will support the life of the baby. This is against the "pro-choicers" who preference the rights of the woman. This is where the crux lies. Either one preferences the rights of the unborn baby or one preferences the rights of a woman to not have the baby. I understand and sympathize with both sides, but the life of the baby must be preferenced.
Why? Well, because we are "pro-life." This does not mean that we are against abortion though. No, what we are is for life. This means that the preference is always given to life, no matter what. The life we choose here is the life of the baby. As someone who is "pro-life" it means the option is always for life, above all else.
However, if we are truly "pro-life" and not just "anti-abortion" this must run much deeper. "Pro-life" cannot be the side that we take on one issue and not anymore. To be truly, really "pro-life" one must life for life, always, above all. The option must always be given to life.
This means that anything where death is the option is automatically counted out. Thus, the death penalty becomes null and void. (Sorry neocons). As someone who is actually "pro-life" the option must always be for the life of the person. Recognizing that in the US, if someone is on death row, s/he killed another person and so chose death over life. However, the cycle cannot continue. As my mom used to say to my brother and I, "two wrongs do not make a right." To choose death for death is not to be "pro-life." To be "pro-life" one must choose life in prison and a life in prison where the person actually works on rehabilitation and working through the fact that they destroyed another life. I think this is far more serious punishment than death. (Not to mention the fact that Jesus tells us not to take an eye for an eye - I think this is representative of much of the Scriptural evidence on the issue).
Also, I think that war must be tiptoed around here. Unless one takes a serious account of Just War Theory (see some of AP's comments in my blog on "Why Wesleyan Should Oppose the War in Iraq" for someone who takes JWT seriously) and seeking a very just cause, war can never be an option. The option in war is always for death. This has been proved time and again. War causes much death and destruction. As such, as people who are "pro-life" we can never choose war as a first, second, third, fourth, etc. etc. option. It can only, for a Christian, be an absolute last option (and I would even argue outside of some of the tradition that it is not an option). This is because death is the option in war, even if it is not made public. Even if our rhetoric says that liberation of people WMD's or threats from other countries or whatever war is a place of death, not life. Thus, it is anti-pro-life.
I think though that being "pro-life" must be something that is lived out day-to-day. It must be an attitude and a set of actions preceded by a decision to help bring life to people - is this not the essence of what Jesus did? He was "pro-life" because he walked everyday bringing a whole life to people, not just a promise of a far away Heaven. The Kingdom that Jesus brought was here and now and it was a life-giving Kingdom. This is where being "pro-life" comes from. It is a Kingdom ethic that extends much farther than the bounds of an abortion clinic.
