Pro-lifers abhor all acts that take lives of humans

To the editor:

The Third Commandment, "Thou shalt not use the name of the Lord your God in vain," means we should not use God's name as a curse word. It also means we must not invoke God to justify acts of evil such as abortion. To do so is a perversion of religion.

Yet there is a group doing just that. Called the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, these people pervert God's teachings and claim they are pro-faith, pro-family and pro-choice. On the 29th anniversary in January of the infamous decision condemning to death over 40 million unborn children in the United States, this coalition of religious leaders celebrated, saying many women's lives were saved by the "historic decision."

This group accuses pro-life groups of terrorism responsible for 25 years of bombs, bullets and anthrax-laden letters in a relentless campaign to deny women their moral and legal rights in the name of God.

The acts perpetrated by people against abortionists, their employees and their clinics are always condemned by pro-life advocates, because we respect all life as a gift from God worthy of dignity. We refuse to twist the Third Commandment to justify violence. Conveniently, this group doesn't mention the incidents of violence against pro-life activists.

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice has hijacked the Third Commandment and twisted it into something grotesque.

MARCUS R. SCHAEFER

Benton, Mo.