Another tragic incident has occurred at an abortion facility in the United States. This time a bomb exploded at an abortion facility in Birmingham, Alabama fatally wounding an off-duty police officer and critically injuring a nurse. As we write, no one has stepped forward to claim responsibility in this incident and authorities have yet to locate a suspect.

Our first consideration must be for the families of the victims of this incident. Numerous pro-life groups have appropriately expressed their sympathy and regret for the situation and the pain these families will experience through the loss of a loved one or the recovery from injuries suffered.

Violent incidents, such as this bombing, are entirely reprehensible. The abominable act of killing or injuring another person, for any reason, is morally deficient and the person or persons responsible should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Not surprisingly, however, some media reports and some abortion advocacy groups are trying to make it appear that if someone who is anti-abortion is responsible they are somehow representative of the entirety of the pro-life movement. We use the term "anti-abortion" because someone who would take the life of another person does not support the pro-life ethic we hold sacred. It is unfortunate that some abortion advocates would exploit such a tragic situation for political gain - knowing full well that pro-life people abhor acts of violence and do not engage in them or encourage others to do so.

These acts of violence, more than anything we've ever seen, rally abortion advocates and make them more persistent in opposing us than ever before. These acts mortify the public and callous them towards not only mainstream pro-life groups but the pro-life message itself. Each time a shooting or act of violence against an abortion practitioner or abortion facility occurs the pro-life movement loses, and the day that women and unborn children will be protected is further postponed.

Such acts of violence do absolutely nothing to stop abortions. For example, since an abortion practitioner was nearly killed three years ago in British Columbia the number of abortions there has actually increased. The number of abortions performed in the last five years in B.C. has risen by more than 2,000 to 15,219 in 1996-97 from 12,604 in 1991-92, according to statistics from the B.C. health ministry.

It is imperative that each pro-life organization and each pro-life person work feverishly to condemn these violent acts in the strongest terms possible - not because it hurts our cause but because it is the right thing to do. Unfortunately when past incidents of violence have arisen some in the pro-life community have exploited the incident for political gain. While it is always important to keep hearts and minds focused on abortion, using incidents like these as a springboard to condemning abortion is exploitive and unfair to the victims of these violent incidents. If we are to be the conscience for our nation with regards to the violence that goes on *inside* abortion facilities, we must become the conscience of our nation in earnest opposition to the violence *outside* abortion facilities.

A group has formed called the National Coalition for Life and Peace. Its main objective is to reach the general public with the message that these acts of violence are not pro-life and do not represent the view of the pro-life community. They have a web page at http://www.prolifeinfo.org/nclp and an anti-violence pledge you can sign that many other pro-life leaders have already supported.

But more than merely signing a pledge, we must dedicate ourselves to combating the attitude of violence. We must work with authorities to apprehend and prosecute those responsible for these terrible acts of violence. We need to write letters to the editor and educate our friends and neighbors that the pro-life community despises these anti-life attacks. We need to evaluate our actions, our message, our literature and our very way of thinking to make sure in every way we are promoting what we call the "positive right to life ethic." Namely, we must ensure that in everything we do we are above reproach and are acting in a professional, courteous manner. For people of faith, we must ensure that our actions reflect the Judeo-Christian values and principles that support ethical behavior.

Sadly, some in the public do not make up their minds about life issues based on the issues themselves. Some have arrived at their position to either support abortion or remain apathetic to it's destruction of our society because they see these acts and think they are representative of those who support the right to life. We must be conscious of this fact and readily understand that we are sometimes judged by society not based upon the message we bring but based upon how we conduct ourselves. Such conclusions do an incredible disservice to women, but they are the reality we must face. Therefore, let us respond to these acts of violence with integrity and peacefully work together to educate society that we are truly pro-life people who value the right to life for all.