This is why I am Pro-Life.

Why am I pro-life? Well, in high school and I would have said that it's simple... abortion is wrong and that's what the Catholic Church teaches. I still believe those things but it is far from simple.

Our culture has taught us that abortion is ok. And people my age were brought up with that (from I societal stand point, that is). Our culture has told us that we have to take matters into our own hands. That it is all about us and that if we don't get rid of our "little problems" they will become big screaming, crying, sleep-stealing problems. They paint a picture of motherhood (and fatherhood, for that matter) that is far from happy and healthy and natural.

Even though I was raised in the Catholic Church and I am still a firm believer in all that the Church teaches, proclaims and professes I look at this as more of a secular issue that for me happens to be rooted in the faith of many believers. You see, you can be liberal or conservative, Christian or Atheist, male or female... but it does not change the facts. The scientific facts are just as factual for the Christian as it is for the Atheist. That is why I don't think this is so much of a religious argument.

Here is a very brief secular (and kind of dumbed down) science lesson: If a woman is fertile the egg is released and hangs out in the fallopian tube waiting for one little sperm to fertilize it. So the man and woman do "the deed," the egg burrows in and BOOM: fertilization. The egg changes so that no other little swimmers can get in. At that moment of fertilization the genes and sex of the baby are set in stone. It may not "look" like a baby but genetically it's a done deal. And this might blow your mind but babies  don't look like CEOs, lawyers or Walmart cashiers but they grow up and become those things. I know, crazy!

So the argument that it is a clump of cells is not completely inaccurate in the first several days after conception, but those cells are absolutely alive and are on their way to becoming not only a baby but a doctor, farmer, parent or whatever. And by the time a man and woman really know that they are pregnant they are starting to actually look like a baby. At that point the argument is completely invalid. So do me a favor and refrain from EVER calling it "just" a clump of cells unless you really want to get into it with me :)

Ok... taking the passion down a few notches...

So other than the obvious science behind the whole thing I have many other reasons why I am pro-life. Many pro-choice friends have asked me how I could not sympathize with women who have been raped and then found out they were pregnant. First off, I don't believe the child growing inside that grieving woman is any less alive than the child of the parents that are overjoyed at the realization they are pregnant. That kinda goes back to my original point.

But here is a little secret... I do sympathize with them. I can't say I know exactly how they feel because no one really does. But maybe I have been abducted. Maybe I fought for my life to not get raped and was one of the lucky ones. Maybe I still have nightmares every once in a while even though it has been almost 5 years. Maybe I cannot imagine how it would have affected me emotionally if I had been raped. I know I would have been a mess though. Maybe just the thought of it resulting in a pregnancy makes me panic a little even though it didn't happen. Would abortion have crossed my mind if that HAD happened? I would love to say no, never, but the reality is that it might have. Maybe. I would never have done it but the trauma a woman faces after something like that could lead her to make that kind of decision. I realize that. So, yes, I do sympathize.

Here is what I know though: An abortion would not make it better. You may feel like you are taking care of the problem or even that you are doing the right thing to try and move on. But if you take the life of your child you will have that haunting you as well. That is something I could not live with.

If we live in a world where it is acceptable to terminate the life of your child why are we so surprised by all the other horrible things that happen? People kill people so nonchalantly because that is the culture that we have created. I know there are just bad people in the world and that violence occurred long before Roe v Wade but is it completely improbable that by allowing the violence to occur in our families and in our wombs, the most sacred of places, that we have changed our society to be more accepting of violence in general? We are teaching our children to be selfish and to choose themselves over others so that when they grow up they will continue to serve only themselves.

This is the culture we live in. Even though it is not popular and it is not what this world calls "normal" we have to stand up and stand out. If we don't, what kind of world will our children be growing up in? What will become of us? When will the love defeat the selfish hate?

 This is why I am pro-life.

During the March for Life in 2009. Look at all the people!

In the words of our President (after the Sandy Hook shooting, not talking about abortions):

"These were beautiful little kids...They had their entire lives ahead of them. Birthdays. Graduations. Weddings. Kids of their own." -President Obama 

Let's remember the 55 Million missing today.