YogaHub  

Are You Pro-choice or Pro-life?

Francesca Silva

Pro_life_vs_Pro_choice.jpgThe other day, a friend and I were listening to the car radio while I was driving her home. The news came on and there was a story about yet another pro-life versus pro-choice confrontation.

Honestly,” my friend said in disgust. “These pro-lifers are something else. When are they going to give up and get with the program?

What makes you think it’s all one sided? It takes two, you know,” was my response.

Well, anyone with half a brain would be pro-choice,” my friend retorted, and then looked at me suspiciously. “You’re not pro-life, are you?” she asked in the same horrified tone of voice usually reserved for perpetrators of hate crimes.

Actually, I’m personally pro-life,” I responded.

WHAT? Are you mad? How can you be one of those pro-lifers? I always thought you were an open-minded person and here you are telling me that you’re pro-life?

Okay,” I said, trying not to lose my temper. “So you’re pro-abortion, not pro-choice.

What do you mean by that?” my friend was just about shouting at me now, which was making it increasingly hard to continue driving. So I pulled to the side of the road and turned to her.

I told you I am personally pro-life,” I explained. “But I’m not judging other people’s choices. You, on the other hand, are judging me. If you really were pro-choice, you’d respect my choice of being pro-life.

She was totally flustered by that. “You’re just sitting on the fence,” she said.

No, I’m not. I totally respect your right to choose but wish you’d respect my right to choose. But isn’t it sad that our conversation is a typical example of this whole pro-choice/pro-life issue?

The rest of the ride was made in uncomfortable silence and when I dropped her off at home, she barely acknowledged me. Hopefully, she’ll get over it but, if not, that’s fine too. As individuals, I think we all have the right to feel the way we do while respecting each other’s differences of opinion.

So for the record, I’m not sitting on any fence. My choice is pro-life – but I respect every individual’s right to make their own choices.

I only wish we could be more careful about how we apply the word “choice.

[tags]pro-life, pro-choice, abortion, opinion, respect, life, pro-life versus pro-choice[/tags]

2 Responses to “Are You Pro-choice or Pro-life?”

  1. Christina says:

    Well said and well written Francesca! Why can’t we agree to disagree, or have a difference in opinion and perspective. It’s very interesting how life can sometimes change our perspective, so it is a good reminder to always live in the present and not be so hard on ourselves or others for the opinion in that moment.

  2. Francesca says:

    Thanks Christina. Agreeing to disagree while respecting a person’s opinion is so important. As individuals, we all have our own opinions and should feel free to express them although, as you said, life can sometimes change our perspective, which is why we should always remain open to listening to other people’s opinions.

Leave a Reply

Copyright © 2007-2024 - YogaHub.com All Rights Reserved.