The Pro-Life Stance on Common Pro-Choice Beliefs
By: Daryl Howard
Tags: Christianity, Pro Choice, Politics, Catholic, Pro Life

Recently, a group of high school students from my school and parish attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C. The trip consisted of mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, various rallies, the March itself, and fun at the national mall and Smithsonian Museums.

While my peers and I did have a blast, the point of the march was not to go have fun. While there, we saw many protesters of the pro-life movement, with compelling arguments. But we were not there for ourselves. We were there for those who could not march for themselves. There are many misconceptions of the pro-life movement, and I would love to address some of them.

First off, there are so many people who argue that pro-lifers want to take away women’s rights. While I understand their point of view, that simply isn’t the case. Pro-life is pro-women. Approximately 50% of unborn children are female, meaning we are taking away those women’s rights before they are even born. We are not here to take away women’s rights, but to give more women the rights they deserve. Studies show that scientifically, life begins at conception, as soon as the sperm and ovum form a single cell. It has been recognized as such since the early 19th century, until recently. This “clump of cells” if left alone, will grow to be a baby; unlike normal cells, which stay cells.

Secondly, people argue women will die of unsafe abortions if we make it illegal. That may be true, but is that really even an argument? People still get guns even though there are laws against it. People are still sold into the sex trade even though it is clearly illegal. Yes, we want the safety and health of every woman, but is it okay for society to allow the killing of innocent children because people might do it anyway? Making abortion illegal will never completely end it, but it will severely decrease the number of abortions per year. In 2017, 862,320 abortions were performed in the United States. That’s 862,320 lives lost- think about how many lives could be saved if abortion was made illegal.

Another argument commonly used is that religion should not influence our laws. I have one statement for this, taken from one of our founding documents itself-

“We hold these truth to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” -Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence

The last argument I would like to bring up is: what about the women whose lives will be ruined by an unwanted pregnancy? This is probably the hardest one to address, because my heart goes out to each and every woman in this situation. I can’t even imagine finding out you’re pregnant when you don’t want to be, but I do know people who have been through it. As scary as it is, they decided not to have an abortion and keep the baby. And I am so happy to say their lives, and everyone around them are infinitely blessed from this choice. It may seem like a daunting, impossible situation; but let’s give women some credit. Women are strong, they can handle what comes their way. Instead of assuming they need an easy out, what if we let them discover how strong they truly are, allowing them to surprise themselves and the people around them?