Pro Choice and War?

Question

I started wondering about this when a friend and I debated the topic of abortion(She's 100% against abortion and I'm indecisive about the issue, but lean a bit towards pro choice). Somewhere along the way we started arguing about the War. She told me she believed that the U.S involvement in Iraq was a just cause(I'm not sure if she still holds such view). So then this came into my head. Isn't it kind of contradictory to be pro-life(where the goal is to protect innocent lives and give them a chance to live and prosper)but then sign up for military where one knows that they may kill a civilian(a person completely INNOCENT of the crime we're fighting against).

I know that in Vietnam soldiers were told to shoot anything that moved. And I'm sure a lot of soldiers held the view that abortion was wrong? I'm not trying to push a certain view on anyone or pointing out hypocrisy. I'm just wondering what some of your thoughts are, because this has kind of confused me.

Cynical: I do realize that there are people who are pro-life and are for the death penalty. I understand the reason behind it because the death penalty (theoretically), is given to people who have committed a horrendous crime and are being held accountable for it? What crime did the civilians commit.

Your further explanation of "For the Greater Good" is pretty good. Thanks for sharing:-)

Hmm..you guys do bring up a good point about the "choice aspect" of this. If soldiers during war are given the orders to not leave anyone alive(This does happen) then Do they really have a choice?

WOW...I meant to state my question as Pro Life and War.

Answer 1

well, the people that participate in the war do so because they feel that it is their duty to protect our country and the liberty that it offers. they will do anything, kill an enemy or be killed, if their country calls them to do so. and sometimes, in the process, civilians do get killed, and its sad, but it happens.

as for the 2 topics, i dont know how i feel about the war, but i am pro-life. its not fair for an unborn child to not get a chance at life because of the mothers bad choices. and i also feel that having an abortion can cause some emotional pain for the woman who gets one. ive seen women who regret the choice and now have to live with it for the rest of their lives, and i dont want to see women suffer through that

i think the difference between the two is the amount of control the person has, and the reason the killing is being done. 'nam soldiers were told to do this for their own safety, because they couldnt tell the difference between enemies and civilians, but in most abortions, the woman has the choice... and to not get an abortion wont mean life or death for herself.

not everyone that is pro-life is a 'bombing lunatic'.*

Answer 2

I see what you're saying. When you tie the two together then yes it does seem very contradictory. I am pro-life. I just don't see how people can take away the lives of millions of unborn innocent babies. They haven't done anything wrong but as you say in war innocent people die too.
Well I wish we all could live in a perfect world but that will never happen until this world is no more. I believe that we are fighting this war now so America will be free of a war on our land. There are people in this world who do not care for Americans as a whole. They want to kill innocent people too. So I think that justifies us being over there. We are trying to protect ourselves.
But aborting a baby is not for protection. Maybe a few cases are for health or medical reasons. But usually it's for selfish reasons. If you don't want fleas don't sleep with dogs. In other words, if you can't deal with the consequences don't have sex. Now some people argue what if the baby is a result of rape or incest or something like that. I don't have the answer. All I know is what I believe and how I feel. That is one of the many gray areas in life.
If you are a believer in God then you know what's right and what's wrong. And you know that only God is qualified to judge anybody. We'll all realize that one day.

Answer 3

The US has always attempted to avoid civilian casualties during war time. Unfortunately, many times it is not possible, especially when the enemy hides among innocents or uses them as a shield. Yes, at times, "shoot everything that moves" is a legitimate policy when the fighting is in such close quarters and so many of the enemy that there is no time to make a proper determination. The only hope is that the innocents will seek shelter and remain quiet. There has never been a time where the US has used that kind of rules of engagement in a blanket manner.
So, no there is no conflict between being anti-abortion and being convinced that a war is necessary. No one is Pro-war. It has always been, at least for the US, the last option, while still refusing to condone evil.

Answer 4

I'm pro-choice. Some think the concept of pro-life is to be completely against taking of any life. But many pro-lifers are for the death penalty while some are for the war. The issues are separate. Though, at war there are always casualties the greater good is to save people from cruel leaders. Your friend probably thinks the war may kill innocent people but in the end it will end up saving more and is for a just cause.

Answer 5

I am against war BUT the leader of Iraq was a lot like Hitler he was murdering whole communities for their religious beleifs. Mass murdering intire villages and digging mass graves and buldozing (with a real bulldozer) the bodies into the large hole and covering it with dirt. The women and little girls have medicial help for the first time in history! Can you imagine that if you had an infection that could be cured with antibiotics that you would die because as a girl you could not be seen by a doctor? If you needed surgery for your appendix you would die in horrible pain because as a girl you could not see a doctor. The men are not allowed to veiw a woman or girl that does not belong to them. So you as a girl will die from lack of medicial attention. Can you imagine that as a girl your male family members own you. If you had to many girls and your husband wanted a son they would take your newborn baby and leave it in the desert to die. That it is legal to do this. There are to many reasons to list why this war is a good thing and I know that some of our reasons are not good. But the reasons I have named make it a good reason. And if you went over there they could kill you for being a infidel and not be punished. It is in their religion to kill infidels. Do you know what makes you an infidel? Your religion is different from theirs and you wipe your butt with your right hand. Does this sound like a good enough reason to kill you? I don't think it does so I will support our boys fighting the war because I stand behind my country because I am an American.

EDIT: I came across this question from another asker and it says it all !!!!!!!!!
Saudi woman gets 200 lashes 4 being gang raped.?
What the h*ll. Some poor girl was kidnapped and gangraped, gets 200 lashes and 6 months in jail for reporting it. Sorry if I offend anyone out there but that is the sickest most fu**ed up culture ever.

Answer 6

The thing that always baffles me about people who are pro-life is that they only limit pro-life to the unborn. I find that odd because if you are pro-life shouldn't that apply to the living as well?! I honestly, will never understand that. You make a good and valid point.
I believe that a women have a right to choose if they want an abortion or not. I analyze abortion through the scientific term and not the moral term. According to science abortion is not constituted as murder because the fetus has not taken a breath. People are more concerned about a woman having an abortion and stop caring after the child is born. That's why I don't take a majority of pro-lifers serious due to that factor.
The point I am trying to make is, that people who are pro-life should support all forms of life, the unborn and the living and don't limit their support to only the unborn. Many people who are pro-choice find pro-lifers to be very hypocritical due to their pro-life and pro-war stance.

Answer 7

With abortion the innocent child has no choice to decide if they live or not. With the current war we're in these men have all signed up to fight for their country even if that meant give their life. They all signed up to fight for and protect their country, though it's very sad we're losing these men, they did have a choice to sign up for the service but an unborn child in no way has a choice for themselves so this is like comparing apples and oranges!

Answer 8

FANTASTIC QUESTION!

I asked myself the same question recently and this is what I came up with:
War is UGLY! But in some cases people have to resort to violence to protect the innocent. Example: Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Stalin, etc. Some idiots and their followers can't be stopped with anything but a bullet or bombs. However, an innocent life in moms womb is not a threat to everyone else's peace and security. It is a crime against humanity to kill a defenseless human in the womb, especially when the reasoning is because the birth would be an inconvenience.

Answer 9

It seems like a lot of ppl are confusing your statement and offering why they think abortion is wrong. Or how/why war & abortions differ.
But I am very content w/ my views. No hypocrisy here.
Pro choice
Pro military
Pro death penalty
&
Pro assisted suicide.
Over alll I'm pro-death.

Answer 10

The difference between war and abortion is that abortion kills children in the womb, where war is a decision to act for your county and it's interest. Abortion is generally (but not always) done for selfish reasons.