Introduction

In this age of information overload and partisan spin that threatens to undo the facts themselves, there is simply no substitute for earnest dialogue and, indeed, friendship across ideological lines. The pro-life position was often fallaciously depicted as one of "compulsory pregnancy" and "mandatory motherhood", rather than as a genuine concern over the lives and welfare of perceived innocent human beings. Vanderford notes, pro-choice advocates were equally vilified by pro-life members of the group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. Citing the support of abortion in communist China in adherence to the one-child policy, pro-life advocates accused any pro-choice advocate of communism. Moreover, the individuals most affected by abortion are also often referred to with dehumanizing terms that serve to, effectively, rob them of their moral status and moral sympathy. Women who procure abortions are oftentimes called "selfish" or "murderers" and accused of sexual promiscuity.