Being pro-life means different things to different people. However, when you ask someone if they are pro-life, the majority of people turn immediately to the issue of abortion. The sanctity of life issue determines how many people vote.
When you explore the issue deeper, you will find that pro-life politics are driven by passionate beliefs no matter which way the different individuals vote.
Pro-Life Voting Blue
A pro-life democrat may or may not be against abortion, however, they might describe themselves as fully pro-life. Their position is often grounded in the expectation that the government takes care of its people. Subsequently, this is why the party introduces so much legislation that requires funding to meet the needs of the people.
The homeless and hungry, single mothers, the elderly, and those with disabilities are atop the list for the government when it comes to creating programs. The belief is these people are challenged beyond their measure in meeting their basic living needs.
Pro-Life Voting Red
When it comes to being pro-life and voting red, this is almost singularly driven by the right to life during an unplanned pregnancy. It is the belief that the growing baby inside is a human life and should be granted the rights of any human person.
If you do a search online for a pro-life charity, the results will almost be 100% focused on the unborn and the issue of abortion. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, there are approximately 56 million abortions around the world every year.
Preventing abortions and creating programs that support those with unplanned pregnancies is a priority for the pro-life movement. The democrats would argue that the republicans do not do enough for the single mother to support their position of being fully pro-life.
What Does Pro-Life Mean?
Is it possible to pro-life and in support of abortion? Some would argue that you can because abortion in challenging circumstances can be a sign of compassion. Others would argue that if you don’t stand for life in the womb during a person’s most vulnerable moment, you are opening the door to devaluing a person at any stage of life.
For the majority of people in the United States and around the world, the basic understanding is that pro-life starts with protecting the unborn but carries through to the natural end of life. When a culture devalues the unborn, it runs the risk of devaluing individuals for a variety of reasons such as people with disabilities or the elderly.
Starting with the Unborn
If the pro-life issue starts with the unborn and the issue of abortion, where should the politics lead? If abortion is to become illegal across this country honoring human life inside the womb, then politics must create the pathway for solutions.
There must be solutions that support the options of both parenting and placing a child for adoption. Programs that support single parenting need to focus on opportunities to continue education or secure vocational learning opportunities along with ways to work while meeting the needs of the child.
The Christian Adoptions Alliance advocates for programs and support for both the birth family and the adoptive family that make this option easier to select for those with unplanned pregnancies. When a young woman with an unplanned pregnancy discovers that she can choose the family she gives to her baby and remain in contact to witness the child’s development, the option becomes more viable.
Whether it is a democrat or republican addressing the pro-life issue, we can all do better when it comes to supporting the value of every human at every stage of life and in every circumstance.
Author: Amaury Abreu
