“So, for example, a Christian, based on the central claims of his faith, has good reason to believe that the unborn from conception is a moral person and thus his neighbor. Nevertheless, he may have a difficult time placing that belief in our laws if he lives in a society in which most of its citizens cannot “see” the unborn’s personhood. In that case, the Christian, relying on the principle of prudence, may opt for more modest attempts at shaping policy that provide a means to teach his compatriots about the sanctity of human life (as well as to protect as many innocent persons as possible). So, he and his church may support a partial-birth-abortion ban, since it requires that their compatriots confront this gruesome procedure and what it does to a being that seems obviously to be one of us.”
No where does he advocate letting babies die for political reasons. That one would malign a sincere pro life Christian by your misreading and assumptions is uncharitable and shows a lack of comprehension. Bottom line in tackling public policy on abortion you can not win all the battles right away. The battles that are easiest to win are the ones where you can appeal to what is obvious to most people. For example the fact that partial birth abortions are performed on late term pre born is a gruesome and horrible procedures. It does not take much public education to show that fact. However it is harder to get many people to an understanding that early abortions even though they don’t involve potentially viable fetuses are just as wrong. This wrong is evident to pro lifers both from scientific arguments and philosophical arguments. Such arguments are not obvious to many people especially those brought up in a culture where abortion is an accepted norm. It is much harder to push for public policy if the reasoning behind that proposed policy is not understood. So you do what you can. You do it by education. You do it by fighting for laws such as requiring ultrasounds for those considering aborition. You do it by requiring parental consent for minors who want to have an abortion. You do it by providing real support for women who are pregnant in difficult circumstances.
Deciding that you are going to first bring people’s attention to the horrors of late term abortion does not mean you have become an advocate of early term abortion. At some point it becomes possible to leave the argument that abortion is wrong because concrete facts of fetal age and method to abortion is wrong because of abstract philosophy such as personhood and principles of natural law.
This understanding takes a revolution in how many people see the argument over abortion. Which is now couched for the most part in terms of a woman’s right to choose. Until we see more people gaining an understanding of the foundation for opposing abortion the less likely it will be to change laws regarding it.
So, for example, a Christian has good reason to believe that the unborn from conception is a person ...BUT...he might not be able to convince the hacks of unbelief. In that case, the Christian may opt for more modest attempts which forestalls fully attempting to END the practice and allows abortion to continue unchecked, BUT, that is alright because while millions of unborn innocents are STILL being slaughtered, the godless can be educated into becoming godly and in about 10 thousand years, abortion will be stopped once and for all.
Yeah. I get it.
Late term abortions are no more gruesome then snuffing out the life of a child thru other means...it’s all death and bloody. No matter the form it takes the child is abused and suffers from abortion. No matter how ones culture or ideas of what that chid is or not or their faith...life is life and even to conside rhe idea of taking life should itself be a wake up call to the individual....and it is as they struggle away from the natural flow intened when one discovers they are going to have a baby.
Let me note that when one desires a baby and finds themselve pregnant they announce they are having a baby, regarless how many weeks it is. They are having ababy and delight in the news shared with others.
When a child is not wanted it suddenly becomes a fetus or something else altogether...and the stuggle then begins.