(This essay also appeared as an op-ed piece in The Oregonian, November 7, 1998.)

Even an abortion doctor has a right to life. Such is the deeply held belief of all those who truly claim the compassionate title of pro-life. For to be pro-life is to believe that every human has honor, has dignity, and has something unique to contribute to society.

Violence and terrorism receive no sympathy from pro-lifers who know that all human beings, born and unborn, those you agree with and those you don't, are worthy of their inherent right to life. Any claims that lump a fringe, violent element of society with the legitimate pro-life movement made up of millions of American families are not only ridiculous, but also shamelessly attempt to use a human tragedy for political gain or to make a rhetorical point.

The most recent act of violence against an abortion provider - the assassination of Dr. Barnett Slepian - is particularly heinous to all. Slepian was in his own home, a place of security and respite from the rigors of life, enjoying the warmth that close family can provide best. While innocently enjoying his family time, he was most violently assaulted and killed, a tragedy with which we all sympathize. We can pray that the perpetrator will be caught speedily and brought to justice.

Modern technology such as ultrasound and embryoscopy has provided us with a compelling analogy to this horrible situation: We are now allowed a view into the unborn child's cozy and secure home - her mother's womb. The majority of 1990s-type moms- and dads-to-be have been able to watch the newest members of their families wiggle their little arms and legs and cavort energetically about in the womb - all by the 12th week of pregnancy.

Most bring home their baby's first picture to proudly show to friends - a black-and-white photo garnered from an ultrasound machine. An afternoon trip to OMSI to see its fascinating prenatal exhibit reveals this same truth - the unborn child is one of us just days into her existence. The secure environment of her mother's womb has been provided as a temporary home while this little one grows; even society has begun to provide protection by issuing warnings against alcohol, tobacco, and unwarranted medications.

It is into this secure, familial environment that cruel instruments invade and violently end the life of the smallest member of our human family. The child residing innocently in her "home" is systematically dismembered and destroyed. In some cases, through the partial-birth abortion, she is partially delivered, her brains suctioned out and then the delivery is completed.

Neither of these two acts of violent invasion into the "home turf" of a peacefully abiding human - Slepian and the unborn child - can be justified. Abortion's second victim, the unwitting mother-to-be who is encouraged to abort by a society that has condoned these most violent acts, will be left alone to suffer grief, painful memories, and regrets.

Some have suggested that the "rhetoric" of those who oppose abortion is somehow responsible for inciting those few seriously misguided individuals who commit reprehensible acts. This is no more plausible than to claim that the peaceful anti-war demonstrators of the '60s were responsible for the violent bombings of buildings in that same era.

Violence and terrorism perpetrated against the born or the unborn finds no home in the hearts of America's pro-life community, which holds all human life in high esteem. Even an abortion doctor deserves a right to life.