Thanks for the personal insight too GPE. I think sometimes it becomes a bit us and them with pro lifers, when everybody has their own reasons.
I meant to say in that comment and forgot...
We often see them as the enemy because they want to try to block us from what we want for ourselves. Some folks demonize them as some of them demonize us and the site. Many of them have been very hurt and don't understand the whole picture, and many of us have been hurt, too. That hurt needs to be discharged, and so arrows are slung, and then there is more hurt to be discharged, and it just keeps going.
I can understand on both sides that some may not want to hear the other side, because their hurt gives them power when they've been weakened, and once the hate and enmity is gone, what then will one have to cling to or what foundation will they have to stand on?
The anti-suicide folks have more power and influence, though, and it's oppressive. I understand that it's hard to try to stay patient, to try to calmly get them to listen when so many are in a riled-up and self-righteous state that they refuse. It's hard to not get fucking pissed off and attack back, especially if one hasn't been on both sides of this as I have. It seems from here that few of them have been on both sides, and if they have, they may be some of the rare few who are grateful they survived and want to rescue others instead of live their own lives. Rescuing behavior is codependent behavior. I used to be a hell of a rescuer in general, but I also was willing to make the effort to walk my talk or STFU.