McGrath, I admire you immensely for speaking so clearly and saying all the things i'd like say so much better than I could.

kendall, being young, female, and pro-life (in all its forms...the death penalty is wrong, in my opinion), i found your remark offensive, but all too familiar. Its not the first time i've heard that, none of this thread is new to me, and i'm barely 20. I've heard too, too, much, and i am so tired of it all.

My dear friends, my reasons for my convictions have been considered carefully and thought out....will you believe me when i say that? I do not believe abortion is wrong, i *know* it. I am not brainwashed, nor naive, I have had contact and friendships with young women in some of the situations described in this thread. Do you believe me? Do you believe I am a rational person with reasons for what I say, that I want the best for everyone, that I am not on some kind of evil minded power trip? Moonjen, do you believe me when I say I do not hate you, I do not condemn you, and I respect you? Will you all believe that I would not knowingly use any information I had not checked out first, that I have thought through every argument I might bring to this discussion?

Will you all believe that I am not a hypocrite? Have you seen enough of my behaviour on the mudcat this past year to know I am not mean spirited, that I treat those lives which have come to term with as much love and respect and those that have not, that I am a 'people-lover' not just a 'fetus-lover' (and yes, i've heard that used as a term of derision), that my views on this issue are part of a holistic philosophy of love that recognises the beauty and uniqueness in all?

I ask this because I cannot speak to closed minds, and I ask this because I will not listen to the same derision and belittling I have experienced before when speaking about this issue. If you demand respect, give respect. If you wish civility, be civil. Meet me on this level, and we can dialogue, and yes, I know this isn't a simple topic. But it is one about which I am passionate, and I would love to share that passion with you. Just don't tell me I am too young, too inexperienced, brainwashed, biased, ugly, heartless, uncaring, evil, oppressive, small minded, Dogmatic, etc. That is insulting to me and irrelevant to reasonable discussion. Tell me if my logic doesn't follow, don't tell me that I'm a bigot for desiring life for every biological human being regardless of their utility.

So....Do you believe me? Should I bother continuing?
Kate