I watched the Daily Show last night and Mike Huckabee was the guest. For full disclosure, I like Mike. I would love to get a bite to eat with him and chat, but never believed he was a viable Presidential candidate... but that doesn't play into this. My point isn't even about him specifically. But the topic he chose to talk about last night which was Pro-Life, which immediately went to Abortion. And that is the point of this post. Why when people speak of pro-life, does it only apply to abortion? I know I've mentioned this before in my posts, but watching the interview on line to see all parts of it, brought it back into my mind yet again. For all three parts of the interview, go here
During the interview, I found myself wanting Jon to ask my question. There were many opportunities for it to be the "next question". Mike was explaining how every life no matter what is valuable... that no one can say one life is better than another, etc. And I completely agree with that. However, it's at that point in every one of these interviews with pro-life people, that I want the interviewer to ask what their views are about the death penalty. And yet... no one ever goes there. Why is that? In fact, my daughter was watching with me who is extremely Christian in her values and she doesn't get why no one asks either.
I want pro-life folks (and yes I mean the extreme pro-lifers that try to ruin otherwise intelligent conversations on the topic) to explain to me if they are so pro-life, why are the majority of them also so pro-death penalty. The more extreme they are on the pro-life agenda for abortion, the more extreme they seem to be on being pro-death penalty and that just doesn't add up to me. If every life is really that important and no one should be able to determine one has more value than another, how can they then do that very same thing when it comes to putting someone to death. It's a bit of a contradiction that they won't ever own up to.
Jon Stewart did an excellent job of explaining how difficult this topic is for people and that he believes that more people need to learn to come together to understand each side. That pro-choice people are NOT pro-abortion and don't even necessarily like the notion of abortion at all. It's more that they don't like the notion of a government taking away their rights to their own bodies. He is a father that happens to be for life, but a person that is for choice. I completely get that. I completely believe that no one will ever change someones mind on this subject at all. You can firmly stand on the choice or no-choice side, but that doesn't mean that you are pro-abortion. However I think if you claim to stand on the absolute side of pro-life, you MUST stand on it completely or be labeled a hypocrite if you are also pro-death penalty.
If you can't separate those two things, then stop touting the pro-life label and maybe change it to strictly pro-fetus.
Another disclaimer... I would never have an abortion myself... don't believe in it personally, but yes, I do feel that should be my decision, not the governments. I will answer to my decisions at a later point, and to someone much more important than anyone in my government.
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