Liberals are people too.

Spending the summer in DC, it can be hard not to get sucked in the hyper-politicization of the atmosphere. It seems that everywhere I go, someone is bashing the opposite political party. I find this to be very unsettling. 

Perhaps it is because I do not feel that I fit squarely into any political party. Perhaps it is because I think that energy is better spent on focusing on real solutions, instead of blaming the opposite political party for the lack of progress. Perhaps it is because I just really do not like confrontation.

But one of the most unsettling things to me is hearing the way in which pro-life conservatives talk about liberals. I want to make it clear, that this bashing occurs on both sides of the aisle. But I believe that those who call themselves pro-life should hold themselves to a higher standard.

Being pro-life is about respecting the inherent dignity of each individual. Recognizing the good and redeeming qualities in each other. Being pro-life means that you respect the person, even if you do not agree with their views. 

This is what I am talking about. This is bad.

Making wide-sweeping comments about "liberals" is not only generalizing and labeling people, but oftentimes, these comments are untrue. Making statements like “liberals don’t care about people,” not only does not help our cause, but hurts us. The fact is, that they do care about other people. Everyone cares about other people. People care deeply. Some just have misguided vision of what it means to empower people, specifically women.

This is also ignoring the fact that not all pro-lifers fit into the neat box of "conservative" and not all "liberals" are pro-choice. This kind of inflammatory language is what alienates those non-traditional pro-lifers. (Check out Secular Pro-Life and Life Matters Journal -- both awesome groups doing awesome things.) What we need to realize is that being pro-life is not solely a conservative issue. It's not just a political issue. Being pro-life is a human issue, one that transcends party lines. 

Still bad.

So next time you think about making a blanket statement like “liberals hate babies,” stop for a moment and think. We are called to stand against injustice and to call out this injustice. But this does not mean demeaning and degrading people. Criticize the policy, not the people.  If you call yourself pro-life, be truly pro-life. This means respecting others, even when you vehemently disagree with them.