What does it really mean to be pro-life?

Over the next few months, I’m sure we’re going to be hearing a lot about pro-life, pro-choice, and everything in between.

I know everyone has their own take on what those terms mean, but today I want to share what I believe it means to be truly pro-life. This list is not in any order and it is certainly not comprehensive…but these are all factors I believe should be included in a pro-life stance.

It means making sure that all people have access to affordable and adequate medical care–especially, but not limited to, pregnant individuals and their babies.

It means ensuring affordable and adequate medical care after birth for parents and children.

It means employees are paid living wages so that they can provide for their families.

It involves working with underserved communities to help them have access to fresh foods and vegetables so that they can rely less on heavily processed food. That includes teaching them how to use those fruits and vegetables.

It includes comprehensive sex ed–not just abstinence-focused coercive programs. Abstinence is one aspect of sex ed, but it is not the only one.

It means helping women have access to a variety of birth control methods, based on decisions made by them in conjunction with their partner and their doctor.

It means giving doctors the tools they need to meet the medical needs of their pregnant patients–not interfering with the care they need to provide. That includes allowing doctors to perform abortions when needed without having to worry about losing their licenses and / or going to jail.

It includes paid family leave so that new parents can spend important time with their baby after birth, bonding with them and learning how to live together as a new family.

It means that mental health care is also considered an essential component of medical care.

It means caring for the whole person–before birth and after birth.

Unfortunately, far too often it seems that people who loudly proclaim they are pro-life are only pro-life before birth. After birth, it’s hands-off…and good luck! They are also often strong advocates of capital punishment…a position that seems at odds with their staunch and loud voices demanding protection for a fetus before it is born.

So let’s have some honest discussions about what pro-life really means. Yes, there are going to be differing opinions, but if we really want to create a pro-life society, then we need to work together to figure out how to help families deal with life once it has been born, not just before.