Why I’m Pro-Life

A few weeks ago, the British scientist Richard Dawkins sparked quite the controversy when he was asked how he would react if it was found out that he was to have a child with Down Syndrome. His response? “I would abort the baby and start over.” I, like many others, was very upset to hear those words. Of course, many of those angered by Dawkins’ remarks are people who know someone with Down Syndrome. And that includes me. But that’s a conversation to have another day.

When I heard about this story, I was reminded of the most important reason that I am pro-life. It’s all quite simple. Either every human life has equal dignity and worth and should be protected from the moment of conception to the time of natural death, or else no one should be protected at all. Because if there is such a thing as an in-between, anyone becomes an arbitrary target for death.

Dawkins says we shouldn’t frame the question of whether an unborn child is human or not, but rather if it could potentially suffer or not. But any of us could potentially suffer. Consider veterans coming home from war missing limbs or having PTSD. Should they die just because they’re suffering? What about quadriplegics or paraplegics? Did Christopher Reeves’ life have less value when he became paralyzed after a horseback riding accident? What about people with cerebral palsy? My brother and I have both gone to school with people who have that condition, and they’ve both been inspirations to the people they know. Should they die too?

In order to be in favor of abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, or what have you; you have to make the case that some lives have more value and worth than others. But think of the people who are hurt the most by these things, and the message it must send to them. You’re poor? You shouldn’t be here. You were conceived in rape? You didn’t deserve to have a chance at life. You’re elderly, terminally ill, or have special needs? You’d definitely be better off dead. You’re a vegetable. So one day a person like that is your grandma, and the next day she magically becomes a piece of cauliflower to stuff down the garbage disposal as you see fit. This is another problem that the most vulnerable among us have to face. And it’s an affront to their dignity.

But how should we treat the most vulnerable and weakest among us? For those of us who are Christians, let us consider the Stations of the Cross; particularly when Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross. As we think of this, we must remember that Jesus was near death at that point. In His journey, He was moving closer to Calvary, where He would be crucified. Physically, He was exhausted, having been awake for more than 24 hours. He had been scourged until He was almost dead. He had been paraded in front of the Roman guard, the Pharisees, and a crowd who wanted Him dead, just so they could all make a mockery of Him. A crown of thorns is drawing blood from His head. And now He’s staggering along a dusty, crowded public road while carrying the instrument of His death.

And what does Simon do? He helps Jesus carry the cross. If Simon believed in euthanasia, he might have asked to stop the whole procession so he could throw the cross down and nail Jesus to it himself to end His suffering. But he helps Him carry His burden instead. And that’s what Christians are called to do. We help carry each other’s crosses when times are tough instead of nailing people to their crosses and leaving them to die.

But even if you’re not Christian or religious at all, why would you not want to treat all of your fellow human beings with equal dignity and respect, from the point of conception to the time of natural death? What standards do you use to measure the value or worth of a human life? That’s someone’s son or daughter in the womb. That’s someone’s grandma or grandpa battling cancer in the hospital. That person with special needs is someone’s brother or sister. I find it interesting that in this day and age, when so many emphasize loving and accepting everyone, no matter what, that many of those same people think some of their fellow humans are fit to live and others aren’t. Wishing death upon someone is the ultimate rejection notice. You would think that part of loving someone is rejoicing in that person’s very existence. But apparently, to some, it’s not. And I don’t know why.

To be fair, there is more that can be done to make life easier and better for those who are struggling. We need health care reform where the greatest number of people can benefit; particularly mothers, their children, and the poor. We need an economy that enables people to support themselves and their families financially. We need to make greater strides to integrate those with special needs into mainstream society. We need to ensure that the poor have access to secure food and housing. We need to create better palliative treatment for those who are near death. And so on and so forth. I just wish that all of our efforts to help the marginalized would go towards these things, as opposed to making some steps towards caring for them while simultaneously offering death as a solution to their problems.

This is not a condemnation of people who are pro-choice. Instead it’s a calling for all of us to love all of our fellow human beings as they ought to be loved. Because people’s lives depend on it.