The country is raw, wounded, and deeply divided. Last weekend, a new president was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. The day after, millions of women marched worldwide.
Today, a different type of march will take place in Washington, D.C. – a march which has historically received hundreds of thousands of participants, but has been largely overlooked by mainstream media – the March for Life.
Since last weekend, I have watched women who advocate pro-life causes accused of being backward women, and anti-feminist. I know several women who feel verbally and emotionally beaten into quietness – they don’t want to be attacked, they don’t want their character besmirched, and they don’t want to be ridiculed for a belief that is intrinsic to who they are as women – wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, individuals.
I have been relatively silent myself, primarily because of the level of vitriol I have seen thrown toward those affiliated with the pro-life movement. But, I have never been one to back down from a confrontation, and historically have a bad habit, when backed into a corner for my beliefs, to actually come out swinging. I don’t want to do that, but I do want to shed light on a few key points, as women prepare to “March for Life” today.
First, pro-life shouldn’t just mean “pro-birth.” Instead, it is recognizing the intrinsic value of all individual lives. As a practicing Catholic Christian, my belief is that all life begins at the moment of conception. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. At the moment a new life has been created, a guardian angel is assigned to that creation. No matter the circumstances of conception, that little being has a purpose, a meaning, and a destiny given to them by God. It is also my belief that a life is worthy of dignity, respect, and protection up until the moment of natural death. Again, there is not much wiggle-room for this philosophy.
Secondly, most women like myself, advocating for life and advocating against abortion, recognize there are mitigating circumstances which would lead a woman to consider aborting her baby. These circumstances include, but are not limited to: the cost to raise a child, the cost of childcare alone, little to no support from their communities, circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, and the stigma still attached to single parenthood. Our country is woefully inadequate when it comes to supporting “unplanned,” and even planned, pregnancies. Most of us would agree we need to promote a culture of life, and work to enhance the quality of lives across this nation.
When a life is created, it is my belief that everything must be done to allow that life an opportunity to serve God’s mission for it in its lifetime – whether that lifetime will be short, or plagued by disability, or whether that life will be able-bodied. That tiny life, within its mother’s womb, has a soul, and therefore should be extended the same rights as adults walking around in the streets – to be given a chance at life.
God, in His infinite wisdom and goodness, gave each of us free will. Free will to follow Him, and to abide by His rules. And, He has given us free will to reject His rules, or even to disbelieve in Him.
But, as a believer and follower of Christ, it is my duty and obligation to work to spread God’s word, and to disagree with societal norms at times. It challenges me to welcome those around me into a relationship with Him – one which acknowledges Him as Supreme Creator, and someone whose rules should be followed.
The Catholic lifestyle also requires me to take a stand for the dignity and worth of the least of us (those unborn, those disabled, those disenfranchised, and the elderly who often feel forgotten or as though their life no longer serves a purpose). For me, this isn’t a “pro-choice”/woman issue – at the moment of conception, it ceases being a “woman’s issue,” and becomes a “preservation of life” issue.
If my beliefs stand at odds with current societal values, then that is a struggle I will accept. All I ask is for those who may disagree with me to be respectful in their dialogue, their view of who I am as a woman, and refrain from condemning me as someone unintelligent and anti-feminist. Those accusations are hurtful, when I am supporting the rights of those I view as humans, regardless of legal definitions.
I believe in the concept of the preservation of life, and despite disagreeing with those who insist my views are not indicative of feminism, I will love them.
I will continue to respectfully promote the right to life, with a special emphasis on the dignity of all lives, no matter how small, how frail, how seemingly unplanned the lives may look to others.
As it states in Jeremiah 29:11, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
I stand with you in solidarity and thank you for speaking words that seemed to come straight from my heart as well. I’m proud to be a woman with an opinion. I love those that agree and disagree with me and ALL lives matter to me because they matter to God. I love this – thank you so much for sharing your heart and your faith.
Thank you for the beautiful comment! I am so glad this spoke to you, and resonated. I have a feeling we aren’t alone in these thoughts… 😉
Right on, Anni. So incredibly true.
Thanks!
❤❤❤
THIS. YES!
Thank you! 😊
Thanks for posting this! I just got into an argument with someone in a group I’m in when she stated that people who are against abortion don’t care about the quality of life of children.
Oh, my! Unfortunately, I have noticed some people don’t want to listen when someone says, “I’m pro-life.” They automatically assume we simply mean we are “pro-birth.” Such a shame that perception has become the norm.
Couldn’t agree more. All life is special, sacred, and important. We must show the beauty in that belief set. Thanks for writing this!
Thank you for your comment! And, it is a beautiful, “radical” notion of love in today’s society!
People who are pro abortion fail to realize that there are options if that little life is allowed to live. They do not need to accept lifelong responsibility for that tiny life that they don’t want.. Many families without children would gladly adopt a “throw-away” child. Our society is becoming godless when it comes to right to live- for everyone, for each individual. We already had four birth children when we decided to welcome other lives into our home forever. There are hard times with adopted children, but no more than with a birth child- just different. Let them live! Let the elderly and disabled enjoy what they have of life. Who are we to decide they are a burden or need to be put away. Can you imagine if God had done that to YOU?
We have 10 adopted children whom God has blessed us with, and not for one day have I wished they were never born. We have a severely disabled child who has blessed us with the joy of her presence. Y’all stop whining and take hold of your own life and stop letting others influence your ideas of right and wrong. If God had wanted us to be lemmings we would have been born lemmings.
I think the struggle is – God did give us free will to choose, but both the pro-life and the pro-choice communities want everyone to choose their viewpoint. Live and let live – yes; but, let the littlest of us have the opportunity and chance to live to form their own choices! And, continue providing the encouragement and desire to live through disabilities, infirmities, and/or old age.
Beautifully written, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I stand with you, my sister.
Thank you so much!
So beautifully written. I feel like you took the words directly from my own heart!
I am glad I was able to put a voice to something with which so many women are struggling. Thank you so much for your kind words!
Thank you for having the courage to share this, Anni. You mentioned above the pressure to be silent so as not to immediately be labeled a backwards, oppressed pawn-of-the-church. I’ve felt that pressure, too.
As a church we consider pro-life issues across the board– the “right to die” movement, slow-coding, capital punishment, frozen embryos, etc.– but they are all connected to abortion. Because ultimately the question is: what is the value of life? Either it is or it isn’t valuable. The end. I appreciate you taking a stand to say that it is. It is valuable.
Thank you so much! And, you are so correct – it is ultimately tied together, intricately woven into the fabric of our society. Life is not something we should take for granted, nor is it something we should remove from our Creator’s hands!
Thank you for voicing my thoughts and beliefs so clearly. It does feel that we, as women who value life, are having our voices drowned out. We are accused of hate when in fact we are driven by love…..love of all human life at every stage. Because our beliefs do not line up with theirs we are told our views are wrong and worthless. I am so glad that the Lord of my life has told me my life has value and that all life has value because it was created in His image. My prayer is that God softens hearts and opens eyes and ears to His truth. And that he keeps my heart full of love as well.
Oh, Amen! A thousand times over! Thank you for the beautiful comment, and the prayer for God to soften hearts and open eyes and ears- and that we continue to love as well. Such true sentiments!
Thank you for commenting – I am glad this piece resonated with you!
It really did. I am struggling with all the Facebook posts from people I know and love but who think differently that me. So I just keep praying for me to keep loving and them to see the truth.
This is a beautiful description of both Catholic beliefs and what is means to be consistently pro-life. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed this!