Womb to Tomb

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the Texas abortion ban. This post is likely to grind some gears, but as someone who loves Jesus, it’s something I can’t stay silent about. Because the truth is that most pro-lifers aren’t pro life from womb to tomb. I used to be one of them.

It’s not a matter of what “Pro Life” does mean - it’s a matter of what it should mean. 

1. To be “Pro Life” is to be anti death penalty. Currently, the death penalty is retained in 27 states.
2. To be “Pro Life” is to welcome the immigrant, and to create an easier path towards legal citizenship. It can take over a year and a half to become a legal U.S. citizen - and that is without any delays.
3. To be “Pro Life” is to allow same-sex couples and single people to adopt and foster. There are several states that allow discrimination against same-sex adoption under “religious” rights, and while single people are legally able to adopt/foster, they face many challenges in doing so. 
4. To be “Pro Life” is to believe in and enforce equal rights. Though same-sex marriage is now federally legal, most states don’t have anti-discriminatory laws to protect the LGBTQ+ community. 
5. To be “Pro Life” is to be anti-racist and stand against racial profiling and police brutality. Research shows that Black folks are 2-3x more likely to face deadly force than White folks. 
6. To be “Pro Life” is to stop abstinence-only sex education. Research shows that teens in states with abstinence-only sex programs are more likely to become pregnant than in states with comprehensive sex-ed programs. 
7. To be “Pro Life” is to provide affordable healthcare, including mental healthcare. The life expectancy of the wealthiest in the U.S. outnumbers that of the poorest by 10-15 years, with the average cost of one person’s healthcare in the U.S. being almost $500/month. The average therapy session in the United States costs about $100, with suicide being one of the leading causes of death in the United States. 
8. To be “Pro Life” is to advocate for the disabled community. Studies show that in order for a disabled person to be able to receive a similar standard-of-living to non-disabled folks, they would need to receive 28% more income than their non-disabled peers. 
9. To be “Pro Life” is to provide more accessible financial support to low-income families. One of the top reasons that women seek abortions (cited 73%) is fear of financial issues. 
10. To be “Pro Life” is to work to solve homelessness and provide affordable housing. In 2020 there were over 580,000 people living without a home. The average rent in the United States is $1,124, while the federal minimum wage remains $7.25/hour (less than $1000/month for a full-time worker).
11. To be “Pro Life” is to work to offer affordable childcare. In Indiana, the average monthly cost of infant childcare is $1,051, while the minimum wage here remains $7.25/hour. This means that two full-time working parents (earning minimum wage) are unable to afford childcare.  
12. To be “Pro Life” is to minister to those in prison. By late 2020, there were 1.8 million people in the United States prison system. 
13. To be “Pro Life” is to love thy neighbor with an addiction. Accidental drug overdoses are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. 
14. To be “Pro Life” is to accept and love those of other religions, even when you disagree. Hate crimes against the Muslim community have drastically increased since 9/11. 
15. To be “Pro Life” is to wear your damn mask. Only 29% of Republicans and only 63% of Democrats advocate wearing masks in public (this is a problem on both sides).
16. To be “Pro Life” is to start convicting rapists and stop the victim blaming. Only 2.5% of rapists will face jail time, while the remaining 97.5% will walk free. 
17. To be “Pro Life” is to advocate for male victims of sexual and domestic violence. Statistics show that out of reported rapes, one in ten are male. As many as one in nine men are victims of domestic violence. 
18. To be “Pro Life” is to stand beside the woman who had an abortion, to hold her hand, to love her. I believe with my whole heart that Jesus would not be standing on the side of the protestors, spitting on the woman who agonized over this decision. I believe with my whole heart that He would be in the room with her, holding her, weeping with her. I believe with my whole heart that there’s no woman who has an abortion because she desires to. 

To be Pro Life is to be Pro ALL Life, not just the ones you agree with. To be Pro Life does not stop at the womb. To be Pro Life extends far past what the movement stands for.  

If we want to eliminate abortion, banning it isn’t the solution. Solving the underlying issues is the solution. For too long, I was “pro birth.” I didn’t care about the babies after they were born, and I harbored hatred and disgust for women who had abortions (there are tears of lament in my eyes as I write this sentence). I retweeted and reblogged fellow pro-birther comments. I didn’t actively stand against police brutality, racism, or racial profiling, nor did I make any effort to learn about it. I was firmly against equal rights, and I was against same-sex couples adopting. I didn’t give a thought to the single mothers who decided against abortion and who were now struggling to put food on the table. 

I was Pro Birth, and now I lament that. 

I am not making a statement about my current beliefs. I’m making a statement that if we want true change, then we need to care far more than we do. The abortion issue extends far outside of the womb, and to make laws that have absolutely no impact on underlying issues solves nothing. I challenge those of you who say you are “Pro Life” to look at all of your beliefs, as I have had to. I challenge you to see if you are truly Pro Life womb to tomb. I challenge you to see if you are on the side with the hateful protestors (as I once was!), or lamenting and loving in that clinic room with Jesus. If we believe in Psalm 139, let us also believe in John 3:16. Let us remember 1 Corinthians 13, Matthew 25:35-40, and Acts 20:28. Let us remember that there is not one person on this earth that Jesus did not die to save. Let us love every single one of those people. 

“The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance…For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:34-36, 40, NIV).