Children

2. AM.ERICA'S DEADLY NEW

CIVIL

WAR

Sometimes we unwittingly trivialize great social

issues. Once, when our kids were teenagers, I

facetiously told an audience that I was puzzled as to

why we had the great debate about when life begins -–

at conception or at birth. To a parent of any teenager,

I said, "It's obvious that life begins when the kids leave

home!" Mom and I have been so busy raising our

children, that we really haven't had a chance until now

to step back and examine the process.

From the time that our son (presently a husband,

daddy, and a fourth year medical student), and our

daughter (now a professional accountant) were placed

in our hands at about two to three weeks of age, it has

felt as if the calender has had a fast forward on it.

They started out as Dr. Dobson describes all infants"...

a noise at one end and a mess at the other." And now ,

here we are relishing the wonderful world of bonus

babies in the form of grandchildren.

I will attempt to start with impartiality, which will at

times yield to passion, as we take on this life and death

matter as it has evolved over the years to become what

Mother Teresa recently called the abortion controversy

-- "the great issue of our time." Really, is it possible to

be both pro-choice before conception and pro-life after

conception? I think so.

Most of my thinking came together in the fall of

1993 as I prepared remarks as a keynote speaker for

the 30th Annual Celebration Dinner for Christian

Homes of Abilene. That same fall of 1993, and while a