Quote of the Week: "Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words."

 
I was re-reading Obama's controversial Notre Dame commencement speech, and there were many things that I found very interesting in retrospect, especially with all the controversy surrounding the health care mandate. Here's an excerpt:

"[We] must find a way to live together as one human family [...] no one person, or religion, or nation can meet these challenges alone. Our very survival has never required greater cooperation ... Unfortunatly, finding that common ground ... is not easy. [...] Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side? Nowhere do these questions come up more powerfully than on the issue of abortion. As I considered the controversy surrounding my visit here, I was reminded of an encounter I had during my Senate campaign [with a pro-life doctor ...] He wrote, 'I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words.' [...] when we open our hearts and our minds to those who may not think like we do or believe what we do - that's when we discover at least the possibility of common ground. That's when we begin to say, 'Maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions. So lets work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term. Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women. Understand - I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away [...] the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words."
-President Obama

Read the full speech at the Huffington Post