Two historical figures that I admire greatly are Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Against all odds, they brought long overdue societal changes by persistant insistence on a nonviolent approach. I enjoy reading about those battles in the tanakh (Old Testament) where the pivotal points for victory were nonviolent means such as negotiation and discussion, righteousness, praise and worship, prayer, or blowing a trumpet. The fact that Gandhi and King were both murdered and that the majority of battles in the tanakh were won violently illustrates the complexity of the issue.

      It would be a small minority in our culture that thinks violence is the preferred way to settle differences. For a given situation, the differences of opinion regarding war most likely revolve around how to bring about that greatly desired peace.

      For several decades, the leaders of anti-war protests in this country have tended also to support the right to kill unborn children. It is a dramatic inconsistency, intellectually and morally, to protest killing in war yet consciously and just as passionately support the killing of over a million unborn children per year in the U.S. I appeal to your tender hearts of compassion and your morality that pushes for justice and non-violence, to support the rights of the unborn. How we respond to this weakest among us tests our humanity and challenges the depth of our commitment to equality. Hundreds of thousands of those unborn killed yearly in this country have the nervous system maturity to feel the pain of dismemberment, mutilation, chemical burning, and having their brains sucked out. You cannot begin to bring about peace when you, yourselves, are promoting violence.

Annie Bukacek MD