Clearing up Criticism and Misconceptions Surrounding the Pro Life Meaning
By Katie Doryland
Pro-life supporters and pregnancy resource centers often get a bad rap in the news and in the culture at large. They are accused of being pro-baby but not pro-woman or wanting to withhold rights from women. These accusations stem from a failure to understand what the true pro life meaning is.
For-Life
Being pro life means being for-life, for every life including the lives of women, men, moms, dads, babies, toddlers, and teens. The pro-life stance is grounded on the belief that God is the author of life. He created men and women in His image, therefore all human life deserves to be valued and protected.
Here’s what else it means.
Human Life Should Be Protected
Being pro life means being against the unjust taking of another human life.
Pro life supporters often get questions about where they stand in relation to the death penalty, assisted suicide, and more. When it comes to the meaning of pro life for us, we believe in staying focused on the issue of abortion.
Life Begins at Conception
Science proves that life begins at conception. Since abortion ends the life of an unborn baby, abortion is the unjust taking of another human life. Scott Klusendorf of the Life Training Institute uses the acronym SLED to point out the differences between a preborn baby and a newborn, showing that none of those differences justify the killing of that preborn baby. The SLED acronym is summarized below:
Size: Does how big you are determine who you are?
Level of Development: Are twenty-year-olds more human than ten-year-olds, since they are smarter and stronger?
Environment: Does being inside a house make you more or less of a person than being outside? Does being located in his mother’s body rather than outside make a child less human?
Degree of Dependency: Does dependence upon another determine who you are? Is someone with Alzheimer’s or on kidney dialysis less of a person?
The True Pro-Life Meaning: Pregnancy Resource Centers are Pro-Woman
One major argument of pro-abortion groups is that those who claim to be pro life only care for the baby, but don’t help the mother in her situation. For us, the meaning of pro life isn’t just about saving the life of the baby, but also helping the mother by meeting her needs.
This is where pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) come in. In 2017, over 2,700 PRCs nationwide provided nearly 2,000,000 clients with free services. More than 70 percent of PRCs offered free ultrasounds to clients and 100 mobile units with ultrasound services were on the road across the United States.
Pregnancy centers around the country offer parenting classes, diapers, formula, free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, and more. PRCs continue to serve women and families well after their baby is born.
Being Against Abortion Doesn’t Mean Being Against Abortion-minded Women
The ultimate goal of the pro life movement is to save babies. But in doing so, also save their mothers. Being against abortion does not mean that we are against women facing unplanned pregnancies considering abortion. It also doesn’t mean judging women who have had abortions in their past.
There are many PRCs around the country that offer post-abortive counseling to support moms grieving after an abortion. Ministries such as Hope After Abortion connect post-abortive women with the counseling and resources they need to help in their healing process. Hope After Abortion also connects women with other post-abortive women to show them there is healing, forgiveness, and redemption after abortion.
Many pregnancy centers connect with local churches to offer Christ-centered help and resources to women, as well as counseling, bible studies, or baby showers for local women.
Save the Storks connects with PRCs around the country to offer training, consulting, branding help, and more so that PRCs are able to support their community better. Storks provides mobile medical units to PRCs so that they can take their ministry and services on the road and go to women in need.
Learn more about what it means to be pro-life with Life Training Institute’s Megan Almon.
