I didn’t attend the March for Life this year, but I was there in spirit. Below is something what I posted on Facebook today regarding the March and last week’s march. I thought it might be good to share it here as well:
Today I did some ill-advised perusing of the #MarchforLife hashtag on Twitter. The most common criticisms I saw of the March were variations of the argument that pro-lifers are hypocrites because they don’t care about humans after birth. Beyond the general inaccuracy of this perspective, I find it frustrating because that is not an argument against the pro-life position (that we should not legalize the killing of innocent human beings regardless of their stage of life).
The March for Life is very much a single issue event where people can and do disagree on all sorts of other political issues like gun control, the death penalty, war, economic policy, etc. I’m happy to have a discussion with you about abortion, but don’t try to get out of the argument by telling me I don’t care about human beings after birth because anyone who knows me can tell you nothing could be further from the truth.
Last Saturday, I didn’t march. Part of me wanted to. I found many of the stated causes of the Women’s March compelling. Some pro-lifers chose to go, but ultimately the organizers themselves made supporting the right to abortion an integral part of the march, so I didn’t feel like I would be accepted.
Today my heart is pulled in different directions about recent political changes, part of it grateful for the new opportunities for the pro-life movement, another part of it saddened by news of refugee programs shutting down like this: http://www.syracuse.com/…/syracuse_refugee_program_will_be_…
I, too, am annoyed by pro-lifers who just want to use abortion laws to control women’s bodies and moral choices, but that’s not why I’m pro-life. That’s not why most people are pro-life. The majority of us just believe human beings at all stages of life should have a right to live.
I’m trying to live in the tension, acknowledging my own conflicting feelings while pursuing justice for all.
TBD {To be determined} 