If anyone can cause me to pause in my Pro-Choice ferver and consider the opposing point of view, it's my dear friend, Patty Heaton. And not just because of the martinis that usually lubricate our monthly lunchtime downloads. But because we share an inner passion; motherhood. We both carried life, gave life, and organize ourselves around maintaining the lives we gave. Although I disagree with Patty's position on abortion, I do understand it comes from her compassionate committment to children. What I profoundly respect is the consistency of my Conservative Christian friend's concerns. Patty has been putting her attention beyond pregnancy, to the quality of life for that baby once it's born. This lands her pretty squarely into my Unitarian Universalist Died-In-The-Wool Liberal Territory; social services, environmentalism, educational opportunity, economic reforms. How can someone insist that a child be born, but loose interest when the Department of Defense dumps rocket fuel into the Colorado River, which feeds the LA Reservoir System, exposing infants and children to dangerous levels of toxic neurochemicals? Or not find our wanton exploitation of fossil fuel and subsequent Global Warming harrowing? Or not feel outraged that more prisons are being built in this country than schools? When David Brooks rights eloquently about a shared moral committment between Conservative Christians and Political Progressives around the issue of Darfur, we are certainly in the midst of a profound opportunity. When Evangelicals are embracing Environmentalism as their responsibility as shepards of the earth, we have a moment to seize. Let us organize ourselves around our shared convictions in order to make the society into which these babies are being born a safer, healthier and more equitable one. The media covers conflict. In so doing, perhaps increases it. Why not agree to disagree and join forces on issues that we all know to be critical. Let's start with one--such as the dumping of rocket fuel into public waters. If every mother, no matter how they vote, actually got together to create bi-partisan activism around specifc issues that threatened children, BOY OH BOY would we be a force to reckon with! I propose a bi-partisan coalition, "Moms for Life", to take up this gauntlet. Patty suggests that Hollywood women unite. I'd love to see this go way past Hollywood, but here's as good a place as any to begin. Any takers out there?
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