What is the definition of the term "Pro-Life"?

Question

I do think pre-borns at some point in their development do feel the pain of an abortion. Though even if they didn't, or don't at an early enough stage, it is still wrong to take a human life. I could murder a born person in their sleep painlessly with an overdose of painkillers but it still would make it right.

asAmanThinketh, relatively well put.

I do think pre-borns at some point in their development do feel the pain of an abortion. Though even if they didn't, or don't at an early enough stage, it is still wrong to take a human life. I could murder a born person in their sleep painlessly with an overdose of painkillers but it still would make it right.

blackkbot, thank you for your opinion but I don't think you answered the question.

lolonic, first of all the vast vast majority of all Pro-Lifers are committed to resolving this issue peacefully. But if you really want to compare deaths it would be maybe less than 100 or so have been killed in the name of being "Pro-Life". Compare this to the number of 50,000,000 abortions declared on the books in America alone since 1973. It pales in comparison & this is putting it politely. And no, I do not advocate the killing of doctors or nurses as it will ultimately not solve the problem. Being intimately involved in the Pro-Life community I can safely speak for the vast majority. I have not met a single person yet that differed on the need to resolve this problem in a peaceful diplomatic approach. In fact if I knew a person was going to kill a doctor or nurse I would stop them immediately, even to the extent of reporting them to the authorities if necessary.

darbyrob43, You have straw manned the definition of Pro-Life by being sarcastic. No healing or unity can be found in your approach.

ginevra1weasley, It seems you will have to term the definition of "anti-abortion" first before you can tell us the definition of Pro-Life means.

Yoda Green, it's nice to know that there are pro-choicers out there that are open to not making sweeping generalizations, that is, compared to those mean old nasty pro-lifers.

Kate, you are definitely on the right track, but I think it means a little bit more.

Petey, first of all not all abortions are done on non-viable fetus, Abortion is legal at all stages of development. The only difference is that in some states you have to go to a hospitial and others you are allowed to go to a clinic right up to before birth.

Petey, not only potential criminals but also potential, Platos’, Socrates’, Van Goghs’, Da Vincis’, Michelangelos’, Ensteins', Washingtons,’ Franklins’, Edisons’, Lincolns', Jesus', Buddhas' Gandhis', Pastuers' and plain old people like you and me who could help to make this world a better place. I find it prejudice and unfounded for you to imply that most aborted children would have grown up to be hardened criminals. I hope you grow up spiritually. Someday you might be one of those aborted children in another life. I suspect many will become so if only to understand the harm they are causing by having facilitated this madness. As some once coined, “Watch out or your karma will run over your dogma”. This holds true for us only not only stogy old conservatives.

Petey, not only potential criminals but also potential, Platos’, Socrates’, Van Goghs’, Da Vincis’, Michelangelos’, Ensteins', Washingtons,’ Franklins’, Edisons’, Lincolns', Jesus', Buddhas' Gandhis', Pastuers' and plain old people like you and me who could help to make this world a better place. I find it prejudice and unfounded for you to imply that most aborted children would have grown up to be hardened criminals. I hope you grow up spiritually. Someday you might be one of those aborted children in another life. I suspect many will become so if only to understand the harm they are causing by having facilitated this madness. As some once coined, “Watch out or your karma will run over your dogma”. This holds true for us all, not only stogy old conservatives.

I’ve no religious affiliation yet I believe it only prudent to have legislation protecting one another’s rights. I believe we all have the right to do whatever the hell we want, save when our desires impinge on the rights of another. An unborn child is just as much a person as you are I. The only difference is stage of development and location. What if there were a special place and time? Let’s say my house and before you reached the age of 3. Would it make it any less murder for me to kill you in such instance? It is technically my house, and you could not survive without my care being so young. No, this is absurdity. But as another has coined, What is unthinkable today becomes common place tomorrow. And if you think I coming up with a false argument Peter Singer (a predominate bio-ethicist) is already advocating for parents being about to kill their children up to the age of two. I'd be careful which road you walk down as mistakes are made via our epistemological choices.

The last detail was for iknowtruthis...

Chris K, that is a valid way some see the term however in the pro-life movement the term pro-life also means to legislate the practice like anything else, i.e. theft, rape, kidnapping, murder, etc.

ginevra1weasley, there is only one glaring reason to have an abortion and that is entopic pregnancy where the fertilized egg traps itself in the fallopian tube. There are also some forms of rapidly growing cancer in which I think it should be the mothers call, but it is not a given that an abortion should be done, only that it is should be an option. The vast majority of pro-lifers agree in life treating situations it should be allowed as it was in all states prior to 1973.

Man, Pro-Lifers like any other sub-culture culture has it's variancies. There is a semi-popular trend called The Consistent Life Ethic which is against, poverty, war, execution, abortion, and some include the killing of animals even for food. So before you judge do your research. And as mentioned before I do not know one Pro-Lifer that believes in shooting abortion doctors and nurses. It is a relatively rare practice especially when compared to the number of people Pro-Aborts have killed, 50 million on the books in the states alone since 1973, and near an additional 50 million world wide yearly. Even Hitler couldn't beat that. Good job Pro-Aborts keep supporting the genocide of innocents. Many people do evil things and justify it to themselves via whatever logic. Fortunately I do not believe in that eternal hell crap, but I do however believe in Karma. Would you still believe what you believe if you had to reincarnate as one of these babies? I some how doubt it.

Answer 1

Pro-life is a term adopted by a variety of movements focusing on bioethics issues. It can be used to indicate opposition to practices such as euthanasia, human cloning, embryonic human stem-cell research and the death penalty, but most commonly (especially in the media and popular discourse) to abortion. The term describes the political and ethical view which maintains that all human beings have the right to life, and that this includes fetuses and embryos.

Answer 2

Prolife is a view that values unviable fetuses above all else. Contraception is vilified, as it interferes with conception, and so there are fewer fetuses to go around. The value of human life drops dramatically postpartum. Actual quality of life means nothing, and by the time the miserable soul becomes a hardened criminal, the view on the value of human life turns to "execute him".

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Further comment :
Perhaps I was being flippant before, since this question is just so very incendiary. You know the definition of the term, you are just fishing for people to lecture. But, you have singled me out in your "etcetteras"...
Not all aborted fetuses would have become hardened criminals, I know that, I'm just making light of the seemingly contradictory combination of anti-abortion & pro-death-penalty. That makes no sense to me - save the babies, slaughter the adults.
I intend to never have children of my own. I was unwanted by my biological mother, a drug-addled teenager. I was given away for adoption, which isn't exactly the happy picnic of rainbows and butterflies that people who haven't been there like to think it is. People who have actual blood relatives can not imagine what it is to have absolutely no one, no mother, father, grandparents, siblings... I love my family, but it's clear we're not related. Sometimes I think I should have been aborted. My mother did some awful things to me while I was still inside her body, and this has led to medical complications in my life that had *I* had any choice in the matter, I probably would have done without. Why I'm here on this planet, I don't know. Maybe my purpose is to talk some sense into the rabid pro-life population.

Honestly, I think that abortion is not the answer.
Here's my new campaign:

Life begins at PLANNING.
Help prevent accidental pregnancy!
No more "oops" children...

Answer 3

Easy:

"Pro-life" means that by all means stop all abortions from happening, including cases involving the health of the mother.

Pro-life also means letting the brain-dead Terry Chiavo live forever, or until the batteries run out on her life-sustaining stuff.

And those that fit in the categore of "pro-life" also don't mind the bombings of abortion clinics, the murder of Michael Chiavo, the bombing of Iraqi civilians, and the death penalty.

Pretty much pro-life only applies to abortion. Then it's pro-death...

Answer 4

Anti-abortion-rights people like to claim they are "pro life" because that sounds better than "we don't want to allow women to have voluntary abortions." However, they don't seem to care anything about the babies once they're born, and they don't tend to oppose war or executions, so it's a bit of an exaggeration to say they are "pro-life." They're more "pro-fetus-life," and focused on quantity more than quality of that life.

Answer 5

I thought Pro-Life meant no killing ever but it means crazy people shooting doctors, being against abortion and supporting wars and executions.

So I don't think even Pro-Lifers know what it means.

Answer 6

Pro-Life means that abortion is wrong, that a baby inside a mothers womb is not just a piece of tissue; it is a living thinking person. It means you don't support abortion.

Answer 7

Well pro-life is against pro-choice I don't like abortions but if a woman has to abort a baby I feel she should have a choice.

Answer 8

The term means that you believe that life should remain unnaltered (no abortion). It's the opposite of Pro-Choice

Answer 9

I really dfon't think pro life is the oposite of pro choice. Pro choice says a women has a choice about abortions. Pro life isn't saying "you have no choice" They are just promoting the idea that you make your choice to be to let the baby live.

Answer 10

It means that you are opposed to women having abortions.

I am Christian, and I definitely know of at least one instance where a fellow Christian had a good reason to get an abortion. I am pro-choice. God gave us free will.

Of course, some people who are pro-life are willing to kill people who perform abortions to prove their point. Or, disprove their point, really.

So, yeah, "pro-life" means anti-abortion, typically.