All We Say and Do

It has been my own experience that sometimes, by getting so caught up in being pro-life, I lose sight of the reason I am pro-life. It is a dangerous trap to fall into, I know. At times like these, this is what I remind myself of. The pro-life movement is very much a political movement. Yet, it is so much more than political protests and rallies. This is not to say these aren’t important, for they are. But at the end of the day, it’s not the essence of the pro-life movement. In two words, being pro-life comes down to this: human dignity. Unlike other great social justice movements in the past – the abolition of slavery, the women’s suffrage movement, and the end of segragation – the pro-life movement is not fighting for a particular class of people, but for all mankind. By denying a child in the womb its right to life, abortion is degrading our society and every person in it. If the unborn baby – who is just as human as you and I – is not treated as a person, it diminishes our own dignity, for by denying their personhood, we are denying our own. Consequently, the pro-life movement promotes the human dignity of every person, whether they be a 21 year old woman, an 80 year old man, a first grade student, or the child in the womb. As such, those of us who are pro-life must extend our mission even further than we may think. Yes, we must hold rallies and pray outside abortion clinics. But we must further treat those people currently in our lives with the human dignity they are due. Try making friends with that less-than-popular person at work or school. Smile at a stranger. For children, obey your parents, and for parents, ask your children to do things kindly. Take the time to truly listen to someone. This is not trivializing the pro-life movement or the grave injustice of abortion. Gossiping and abortion clearly do not have the same moral implications, and I am not trying to say they do. However, if we are to succeed at eradicating abortion in our country, we truly have to begin by transforming our culture. Into a culture of life. And the only way to do this is to promote the dignity of the human person by all we say and do. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.” By living the message of life always, we can do more good than we can even begin to imagine. Let’s try it, for life.