Our Generation's Biggest Paradox

The Today Show had a spot this morning about how effective we've become in caring for premature children -- those born only weighing one-two pounds, and sometimes even less. They even had a large group of parents and children on the show, showing how healthy they were in later years.

Our generation's biggest paradox has to be that on the one had we invest incredible amounts of effort and money to nourish premature infants -- putting a huge value on their lives -- while at the same time spending incredible amounts of money and having a huge infrastructure to provide abortions to moms who don't value the lives they are carrying. And to a large extent, many of the same people who are strong advocates of abortion are equally strong advocates of doing everything possible to provide healthy lives to premies.

I'm at a total loss to understand how we as a society can value one life so much and another so little.

My only way of beginning to understand it is that in both cases it's mostly about the adults involved and what they want -- and less about the babies.

• The desire to have children is very strong -- and to get what we want, we are willing to spend whatever it takes to become pregnant and to nourish that life.
• On the other hand, an unwanted pregnancy is an interruption in our plans at the least, and potentially life-altering, and if we don't want that, we want a way out. In fact, the primary argument for abortion seems to be, "The woman should have a choice."

I admit that I come down on the side of heroic measures to preserve and nourish life. Even while recognizing that even that means that it's more about me and what I want.

How do we move from the mindset "It's all about me and what I want" to the mindset "It's all about God and it's all about others?"