- Feb 5, 2002
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Pro-lifers are much more than "pro-birth". Pro-life charities and individuals provide material and emotional support for those in need, far beyond pregnancy.
When it comes to the topic of abortion, I often hear the claim that pro-lifers aren’t helping people after they’re born. The idea/objection is that pro-lifers are hypocritical and thus shouldn’t speak out against abortion.
Is it a good objection? I don’t think so, for two reasons.
Reason 1: It isn’t true.
First, is it true that pro-lifers aren’t helping people after they’re born? Well, maybe some aren’t. But many are.
Witness the proliferation of crisis pregnancy centres or pregnancy care centres. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, in the U.S. in 2017 there were 2,752 such centres, providing much help to women and their children.
Also, witness the fantastic response received by a newspaper editor who asked via Twitter (disparagingly and dismissively, expecting no good answers) what pro-life people have done personally to help lower-income single moms. It turns out this editor received 13,000 responsesindicating that pro-life people in fact do a lot!
Permit me to speak from personal experience. My wife Carla is deeply pro-life. But she is also humble and doesn’t talk much about the good things she does. She sees such talk as morally inappropriate — as bragging. So I will brag on her behalf!
When Carla and I were dating and during our first years of marriage, Carla worked in a group home caring for — helping — children who were severely handicapped physically and mentally.
Later (while I was completing my PhD and beginning to teach philosophy courses) we lived for eleven years in a low-income, high crime neighbourhood. During this time Carla (along with a couple of her friends) began a community centre to help our needy neighbors. This community centre was supported by one church initially, then two, then three, then seven — and more.
Carla also tutored some of our neighbours’ kids. She also taught single parents how to make inexpensive but nutritious meals (Carla even took the time to become certified by our local health department to do this). She also helped organise a weekly food distribution. She also helped a neighbour (a low-income single mom with five kids) learn to drive, obtain a driver’s license, and find some part-time employment (subsequently Carla often loaned our car to this mom for grocery shopping). Carla also helped a young woman deal with her abusive husband. Carla also used her nurse training to help injured neighbours as well as neighbours with young children, including a home birth. And there’s much more, but space doesn’t permit. (She also homeschooled our two sons during this time!)
You get the picture: Pro-life people (like my wife) are against abortion and they often do lots of good stuff — which we tend not to hear about.
Continued below.
Pro-lifers aren't helping people after they're born? » MercatorNet
When it comes to the topic of abortion, I often hear the claim that pro-lifers aren’t helping people after they’re born. The idea/objection is that pro-lifers are hypocritical and thus shouldn’t speak out against abortion.
Is it a good objection? I don’t think so, for two reasons.
Reason 1: It isn’t true.
First, is it true that pro-lifers aren’t helping people after they’re born? Well, maybe some aren’t. But many are.
Witness the proliferation of crisis pregnancy centres or pregnancy care centres. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, in the U.S. in 2017 there were 2,752 such centres, providing much help to women and their children.
Also, witness the fantastic response received by a newspaper editor who asked via Twitter (disparagingly and dismissively, expecting no good answers) what pro-life people have done personally to help lower-income single moms. It turns out this editor received 13,000 responsesindicating that pro-life people in fact do a lot!
Permit me to speak from personal experience. My wife Carla is deeply pro-life. But she is also humble and doesn’t talk much about the good things she does. She sees such talk as morally inappropriate — as bragging. So I will brag on her behalf!
When Carla and I were dating and during our first years of marriage, Carla worked in a group home caring for — helping — children who were severely handicapped physically and mentally.
Later (while I was completing my PhD and beginning to teach philosophy courses) we lived for eleven years in a low-income, high crime neighbourhood. During this time Carla (along with a couple of her friends) began a community centre to help our needy neighbors. This community centre was supported by one church initially, then two, then three, then seven — and more.
Carla also tutored some of our neighbours’ kids. She also taught single parents how to make inexpensive but nutritious meals (Carla even took the time to become certified by our local health department to do this). She also helped organise a weekly food distribution. She also helped a neighbour (a low-income single mom with five kids) learn to drive, obtain a driver’s license, and find some part-time employment (subsequently Carla often loaned our car to this mom for grocery shopping). Carla also helped a young woman deal with her abusive husband. Carla also used her nurse training to help injured neighbours as well as neighbours with young children, including a home birth. And there’s much more, but space doesn’t permit. (She also homeschooled our two sons during this time!)
You get the picture: Pro-life people (like my wife) are against abortion and they often do lots of good stuff — which we tend not to hear about.
Continued below.
Pro-lifers aren't helping people after they're born? » MercatorNet
