I am just so sick about the murder of Dr. Tiller. In church. I can't even comprehend it, except to say that terrorists are not mentally or spiritually healthy.
I am pro-choice. I am a Christian. And I have had many discussions with fellow Christians about being "pro-life" and "pro-choice," and every single time we both cite the same reasons for arriving at different conclusions. That's one of the beauties and horrors of being a Christian--God gives us brains and free will and gives us clues that we have to interpret on our own. Even His edicts are still clues. To me, "Love one another" means "Take care of women--save their lives if continuing to carry a baby would kill them, in any way." To others, "Love one another" means "Work to make sure all conceptions result in live births." Even though that's not where I arrive, I can see how they get there. I know at least some of the people I've discussed this with feel the same about my conclusion.
But here's the thing: We all have different experiences. And all our experiences are true. And those experiences can teach us so much about how to be human, how to love one another, if we let them. The concerned Christians I know understand that and work for that personally and on an institutional level.
The map is not the territory. And if you mistake the map for the territory, you are in danger of becoming a fundamentalist. It's a short step from fundamentalism to terrorism.
I wish I knew how to end this post. I'd like to make some big call asking for people to honor Dr. Tiller and his family by volunteering for birth control education and access, a cause that both pro-choice and pro-life people can unite around. But I just feel too sad about his death, and the prospect that terrorists will make it impossible to save women's lives, and that women (like my friend Cecily) will die, and little kids (like my friend Cecily's daughter) will never be born because their mothers died before they we conceived.
I wish I knew what to say.
