We Can do More (pro life)

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Before I went out on my own to explore faith I found myself in the position of being begrudgingly pro-choice, that is to say I did not like or agree with abortion but I thought it should still be legal. However, now I find myself swayed to the side of being pro-life. I view abortion as a form of state sanctioned murder not very dissimilar to the death penalty that is still practiced in a number of states and by the federal government.

I feel like the pro life movement could do more though. I think in recent years the movement has done a good job in reaching out to others who may not align entirely with the position of the Church, and it is something that is growing with people of my generation (millennials). I do still think that more can be done to make common cause with others. What do you think the pro-life movement needs to do in order to gain more traction?

And if we were to speak in terms of a scenario where abortion was no longer a practice within let’s say the United States, how do you think the government should respond to those who for whatever reason do not desire to keep the children they give birth to? Do you believe that we should create a government program? Or should the government provide a program that matches funds for charities that take in unwanted newborns? How do you think the system should work if we were to no longer have abortion?

I’m curious to hear the thoughts of everyone who consider themselves pro-life or of the pro-life movement. Do you think that we can do more for outreach and more for women who choose to not keep the children they bring into the world?
 
I would begin like this. One year, every penny that is spent on March for Life, from the organizing committee expenditures to the local groups renting busses to printing T shirts and bumperstiers, from hotel room rentals to the youth group eating at McDonalds on the way to the fuel for the cars and other vehicles, every penny of that money goes to Crisis Pregnancy Centers and to supporting/beginning Maternity Homes in every community.

Think of a nation where every community had a loving, kind, safe place where any woman could go, regardless of her age or marital status or economic status, where she knew she could stay if she looses her job, the roof over her head, her sense of security because she was pregnant. Where she could bring her older children.

A full pregnancy center with on staff midwives and OBGYNs and NPs where a woman could schedule her pre natal visits around whatever her crazy work hours are instead of jeopardizing her job to get medical care. Where that medical care was at zero cost.

Where women who were kicked out by their partner, spouse, parents could live and stay in school, get job training, etc.

Imagine that world for a minute, where the women who see no other choice would be given more than a free ultrasound and a bag of used baby clothes because the pregnancy center had the budget to do more.
 
Would you be in favor of a government program being created for the purposes you outlined?

And how would you go about expanding support for the pro-life movement? What kind of outreach do you believe should be done?
 
I agree with @thelittlelady. I’ll add that I think these should be local groups not federal programs. Community support is done best when it comes from the community itself. Even federal grant money can impede good work happening locally because it so often comes with strings attached.
 
I feel that these things are the moral duty of Christians. There is no need for government programs because if all of the pro-lifers in the US switched their money and efforts to helping the women, we would live in a different world.

The works of mercy do not need to be politicized. We have tried that for many decades, it does not work at all.

ETA, in my above statement, I should have added that we, the people of goodwill in the US, need to work to turn the tide on adoption. No disgrace in placing a child for adoption. It should be considered a noble gift.

We need to work to stop the demonization of Foster Care and encourage people to step up to love these kids. One group CAN make a huge difference:


The only laws I would want in places is a cap on the prices adoption agencies can charge. Adoption should not be something available only to the rich.
 
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In principle I can agree that if you’re going to have charity it should be done at the local level for the sake of accountability and so that it doesn’t get tainted by forces outside a particular community. However, in practice I’m not sure there exists enough money within each and every community to meet the need of women who don’t desire to keep the children they bring into the world.
 
FOG said:
f anything, the “pro-life” movement needs to move beyond being a “one trick pony” and stand up for the sanctity of life, including not just abortion, but euthanasia, capital punishment, access to medical care, feeding the poor, war, adpotion, et.al…
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I agree, the pro life movement has to be consistent in its message across the board. That’s why for me personally, I oppose the death penalty. Because it does violate the sanctity of life itself.
 
Government funding for Planned Parenthood could go to Birth Rite, adoption places, and other medical centers for women who need the help as @TheLittleLady mentioned. The movement is more than just being anti-abortion but it needs to focus more on other issues also, really try and get the death penalty removed and stop euthanasia for a start
 
I think you sell charities and localities short. St. Vincent de Paul and others have shown us just how much can be accomplished via charity.
 
I honestly would like to see a coalition of believers and non believers unite to end the death penalty. We have our disagreements on religion, but we can agree that the death penalty is absolutely unjust as a punishment and it is immoral to support a system we know kills people wrongly convicted.
 
Honestly, I think the solution is to get the politics out of the Pro Life movement. If I were king, the Federal Government would not give a penny to CPCs. The Pro Life movement could support these efforts all on their own.
 
So the question I go from there is; are there more efficient ways funds could be allocated to these clinics?
 
Next time a pro life action group (for instance Right to Life) solicits your donations or has a fund raiser dinner, ask what percentage of that money goes to CPCs.
 
Yeah I took a class last semester at College on wrongful convictions and those who have been given the death penalty innocent. It’s really a horrific number, and the amount of people on death row even today has a shocking number of innocent people
 
It amazes me when I hear pro-life evangelicals and even some pro-life catholics arguing in favor of the death penalty. Their argument is essentially that the ends do in fact justify the means, because only a relatively small number of those wrongly convicted get executed when sentenced to death. I remember hearing that argument from Dennis Prager and I could not believe I was hearing someone justify murder like that
 
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At the March I attended Ben Shapiro’s live 1 hour podcast speech. I’ve never heard his podcasts before so I figured I’d get it out, he had Mike Pence on the phone at the end. Overall it was pretty good, at one point he talked about the sanctity of all human life and how everyone should agree that one human life can’t be sacrificed for another. And so he said that abortion due to rape should be illegal also because the baby should not have to pay for the rape, he says you can’t answer the evil of rape with the evil of murder. THEN he says, “if someone commits rape or incest they should be castrated or killed”. What happened to his sanctity of all human life and not answering evil with murder??? And the crowd ROARED with cheers and applause!!! I was horrified, thought about leaving
 
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