Where to get started with Pro-Life?

[fieldsparrow]

As I’m still fairly new here, I will try to give an explanation. I was raised Baptist and was at the time pro-life just because that’s what everyone else was around me. I never really thought about it.

In college, I began to be more conflicted and eventually came to a pro-choice point of view, where the woman’s body belongs to the woman and she can decide what to do with it.

As part of my return to God, and coming to find the Catholic Church, my husband and I have suffered from infertility for three plus years now. It has been a serious trial and I think a large part of it has been a lesson to respect the sanctity of human life. However, since I am still only just starting RCIA I am largely surrounded by pro-choice rhetoric and politics, and it is hard for me to make the spiritual argument still.

I would welcome any recommendations for readings, be they Scripture, websites, books, etc. I admit to still feeling some conflict but I think it’s a result of my political beliefs in the past years, which are definitely changing. For example, I now feel abortion is wrong, but I am afraid if it is no longer legal that will result in more harm to women and babies. So I’d like to read up with an eye on real understanding and acceptance of pro-life.

I have the “unPlanned” book on my list to be read, although I understand the Kindle version doesn’t contain information about her conversion to Catholicism.

Any pointers would help. I feel like this is something important for me to understand and to be able to represent and support the sanctity of life.*

• Please note it is also difficult for me to come to terms with the idea that IUI and IVF may never be an option for us, as I am still in a state of mourning that I may never be a biological mother.

 

[HickmanJosh]

“He who denies that human life begins with conception does not need to contend with religion, but science. To deny this certainty of biology is not to express a lack of faith, but a lack of basic knowledge of human genetics, something that is even known by the general public.” ~ Ecuadorian Federation of Societies of Gynecology and Obstetrics, April 17, 2008

from the proof that the unborn are human all other arguments fall away because the murder of the child must be justified and it cannot be.

hope this helps

 

[Gamera]

Hi. First of all, congratulations on your RCIA participation, that’s wonderful!

For an endless array of inexpensive pro-life books, pamphlets, videos and other materials, I’d look here:

hh76.info/pro_life_products.asp?group_id=28

and here

hh76.info/pro_life_products.asp?group_id=15

 

[fieldsparrow]

Thank you. I will look into some of these books. I just know that this is an issue that will come up and where I will need to defend my viewpoint, and it’s important for me to be prepared.

 

[TimothyH]

I would recommend a wholistic approch to the Catholic teaching on the dignity of all life.

Infertility, abortion, contraception, matrimony, sexuality, self-control, chastity in single life and concecrated life, procreation… all tie in to the overarching concept of human dignity of the whole “Person” which Pope John Paul II taught in what he called the “Theology of the Body”.

There are several good books on the Theology of the Body including two by Christopher West. Theology of the Body Explained is a very in-depth study while Theology of the Body for Beginners is probably the best book to start out with.

Be sure to get the revised editions if you decide that is what you want to do.