In my world, you don't get to call yourself "pro-life" and be against common-sense gun control. . . . You don't get to call yourself "pro-life" and want to shut down the Environmental Protection Agency. . . . You don't get to call yourself "pro-life" and oppose programs like Head Start that provide basic education, health, and nutrition for the most disadvantaged children. . . . The term "pro-life" should be a shorthand for respect for the sanctity of life. But I will not let that label apply to people for whom sanctity for life begins at conception and ends at birth.

Thomas L. Friedman

About Thomas L. Friedman

Portrait of Thomas L. Friedman

Thomas Loren Friedman ( FREED-mən; born July 20, 1953) is an American political commentator and author. He is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner who is a weekly columnist for The New York Times. He has written extensively on foreign affairs, global trade, the Middle East, globalization, and environmental issues.