Commentary -- Anti-abortion or pro-life?

by Jeanette Strong --  In recent months, the anti-abortion movement has been gaining strength, passing restrictive laws in several states and claiming they are fighting for the unborn. It’s easy to be anti-abortion. All you have to do is say you are against abortion, wave a few signs, harass women who are seeking help, and if you are really radical, blow up a few abortion clinics. Easy. Being anti-abortion doesn’t consider those times when an abortion is a necessary medical procedure, to save a woman’s life or to abort a baby who will die upon birth or perhaps live a short life of suffering. Many parents have decided that aborting a severely deformed baby before birth is a more loving act than subjecting the baby to the birth process only to watch it die. Parents who already have children also must consider the emotional and financial impact such a birth will have on their existing family. With conservatives trying to cut access to medical care, food, and so on, a family can find itself in serious trouble in a very short time. Being anti-abortion is certainly easier than being pro-life. To be pro-life takes work. You have to work to make sure every pregnant woman has the pre-natal care she needs. You have to work to make sure the newborn baby and its mother have the medical care they both need, right after birth and for years to come, especially if the baby has special medical needs. You have to work to make sure the child has adequate healthy food, affordable housing, proper medical care when needed, a good education, and everything else a child needs to thrive and prosper. You have to work to make sure families aren’t torn apart just to satisfy someone’s political needs, that children aren’t put in cages without understanding why. You have to work to make sure all families have the resources they need to raise their children, no matter their socio-economic status, ethnicity, or any other label anyone cares to use. This all takes money and time. It’s not as easy as intimidating women who are already scared, who have made a heartbreaking decision and are trying to do their best for themselves, their unborn child, and the families they already have. It’s making sure pregnant women have the resources they need if they decide to keep their babies, and the help they need if they decide to give their babies up for adoption. It’s making sure adoptive families have the resources they need if they are short of money but loaded with love. These are the reasons so many of those who claim to be pro-life aren’t pro-life in any sense of the word. They are anti-abortion, but as soon as the baby is born, they aren’t interested any more. They don’t care what kind of environment that child will grow up in; they only care that they forced the mother to give birth. If they really want to be pro-life, they need to begin working for programs that will help all pregnant mothers, their babies, and the families those babies will be born into. They need to make sure those programs are well-publicized and available to every woman who needs them. They need to make sure those programs will continue and not be cut due to lack of funding. If they are unwilling to do that, they are not pro-life. They are just anti-abortion, and hypocrites to boot. Several years ago, President Bill Clinton said he would like to see abortion “safe, legal, and rare.” This seems to be a very practical compromise for both the anti-abortion and pro-choice groups. I would hope everyone involved in this debate wants to put the mother and baby first. If they truly do, they need to put their own egos aside and try for a workable solution that actually benefits everyone, even if isn’t easy.     Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page.