First of all, I hate that there are divisive labels that force you into one side vs the other. And the divisions are seriously hardcore and extreme, it seems.
I've long identified as Pro-Choice. With a broad definition of what choice means. Contrary to one-sided belief, it doesn't mean I love to kill unborn babies. It doesn't mean I'm ignorant or unfaithful about when life begins. It doesn't mean I'm running around telling women to get knocked up so they can have an abortion. Pro-Choice doesn't mean Pro-Abortion.
I believe that Pro-Choice means there needs to be a focus on CHOICES.
But I'm getting off track. You're clicking over to find out why I'm stating that I'm Pro-Life.
In the past days, weeks, months... my news sources have been overwhelmed and over flowing with stories that show me just how much this country doesn't value life.
Bunches of people can show up at an abortion clinic or in Washington D.C. to rally and protest in behalf of unborn babies... but not so many of those same folks are standing up and saying they are truly Pro-Life.
Because being Pro-Life, to me, means that I value life. All life. All aspects of life.
And my heart breaks and mourns when life is trashed. Whether it's a black woman at a traffic stop, a black man at a traffic stop, or the life of a lion.
Lives matter. Black lives, Asian lives, White lives, Phillipino lives. This country is so very very very broken when it comes to race and how we see each other. I'll admit that I've ridden the wave - the one that once said we shouldn't see color but now says we should validate our differences.
When it comes to Cecil the lion... I value the lives of animals but I'm also realistic about animals and the lives they lead. What concerns me, as someone who is Pro-Life, is that someone was so unappreciative of the beauty of living that he violently and haphazardly took the life of another living creature.
When I see people trolling the internet, leaving mean and hateful comments... when people post their opinions on Facebook without realizing the hurt they may be causing... it makes me realize how many people who use the label "Pro-Life" maybe aren't as "pro" about the lives of others as they claim to be.
So I'm claiming "Pro-Life." Not because I want to jump into the abortion debate. I'm still firmly pro-choice (and anti-abortion) an that one. But I am trying to live my life as someone who is pro-life in bigger and more ways.
Wanting equality in rights for all people.
Wanting children to be free from poverty.
Wanting everyone to have access to affordable and quality healthcare.
Wanting a justice system that is actually just.
Wanting a prison system that actually provides rehabilitation.
Wanting animals to be respected, treated with kindness.
Wanting senior citizens to have safe, happy lives in their final years.
Wanting women to live lives of equality in all ways.
Wanting all lives in the world to have access to clean water, ample food, safe and comfortable dwellings.
Wanting all people to be free from abuse.
Wanting all people to have hearts free from whatever drives them to be abusive or hateful or violent.
Life should be valued and protected and held dear in all aspects. That's what I strive for. And sometimes, it's the only way I find any hope amidst all of the murder and violence and fear and anxiety in the world.
5 comments:
These are all the basics things that the founding fathers (minus some modern details) fought for when they chose to become a new nation without persecuting others for their differences. I agree 100% with your statements.
And I am not a liberal, even though I am accused of it lol, but I also agree with the pro choice stand. I do not endorse abortion, but I understand there are instances where a choice is needed.
Trying to be the best person I can be everyday is my contribution to making the world a better place. A kind smile, a sincere please and thank you, and following do unto others is very important!M
Agreed that life is valuable and ought to be protected.
kimybeee, I don't understand your statement that you don't endorse abortion but understand where a choice is needed.
I'd venture that it's similar to my saying I'm pro-choice but anti-abortion.
I'm not intending to get into an abortion debate. Not the point of the post. The point is that "pro-life" needs to be expanded and deepened.
I think that this is exactly what pro-life should mean: pro-taking care of living people. Feeding, clothing, housing, treated, educating, paying, supporting, loving all the people. You don't get to say that you are pro-life for a fetus, but then refuse to pay for food and shelter when that fetus is born.
I'm with you on this.
(And also, even though I know that this isn't an abortion debate - most pro-choices aren't pro-abortion. It's a terrible decision that should be rare, but supported. No one WANTS women to have abortions. )
Katherine, Liz, kimybeee, we're in agreement on the comprehensiveness of being pro-life.
My follow-up to Katherine's post's second half...
If it is a terrible thing that should be rare though supported, why? If you support the choice but are not pro-abortion, why?
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