Open Letter to Gary Johnson

As a supporter, I have been following your campaign closely. Recently, you have been asked a question (more than once) that has caught my interest, since it is one that I also find relevant. The question goes something like this: "I am pro-life; what can you say to convince me to vote for you?" I believe you should see this question in a positive light: People are not happy with the candidates of the main political parties and are starting to listen to what you say.

Unfortunately, the answer that you have given has been simply a restatement of your position on abortion, which does nothing to reassure the pro-lifer, and indeed writes them off ("If the issue is important to you, vote for someone else.")

What is it that would reassure the pro-life voter? As one who is pro-life, I would offer you a few suggestions that might help.

1. Try to understand why this is an issue to some people.  One sign of empathy is would be to show that you are concerned about defending human life (your position on the death penalty, bombing with drones, etc.), and you see the high rate of abortion as a problem.
2. Show that all the candidates this election cycle are actually pro-choice. Yes, even Trump. Trump is about as pro-life as he is Evangelical. As in many other issues, he changed his mind about this issue when he decided to run as a Republican.
3. As a libertarian you might be pro-choice, but also as a libertarian you do not believe that the state should be involved in funding abortions.
4. Even if you were pro-life, as president you are limited as to how much you would be able to change the in this area.
5. There are other effective ways to lower the number of abortions apart from making abortions illegal:  raising awareness of alternate solutions and making those more accessible (eg. making it easier to adopt). Poverty is another factor that affects the rate of abortions, and you might show how your policies would help to do that.

As I mentioned earlier, I disagree with your position on abortion: As I see it, the non-aggression principle should apply to all, and especially to the most vulnerable who cannot defend themselves. The advances in medical science have not only pushed the age of viability back to earlier and earlier stages, but have also shown us how human and individual the fetus actually is. Finally, to say the rights of a woman over her body overrides the right of the most vulnerable to live is a bit like defending slavery by saying the right of the slave-owner to to his property overrides the right of the slave to freedom.

I am pro-life - but I also recognize that this is not a single-issue election, and that change in this area is not likely whoever gets elected. Some people do think this one issue is paramount and will not be convinced whatever you say. Many others, I believe, would be open to voting for you if you can demonstrate that you understand their concerns and seek to find areas where you do agree.