We’ve heard it shouted from pulpits and podiums: “Pro-life.”
But is that really what’s happening?
Being pro-life should mean more than defending the unborn. It should mean honoring and supporting life in all its forms – cradle to grave, breath to breath. And yet, what we see time and time again from the political agenda is a complete betrayal of that ideal.
They want to force women to carry pregnancies to term, but they don’t want to feed the children afterward.
They reject universal childcare.
They slash funding for education.
They oppose expanding Medicaid, letting poor families drown in medical debt.
They will not lift a finger to reduce maternal mortality, especially among women of color.
Is this what “pro-life” looks like?
The same party that rails against abortion won’t pass legislation to keep AR-15s out of classrooms. Is this logical?
They offer thoughts and prayers, never policies, after every massacre.
They ban books, but never bullets.
They say they love life, but they poison our air and water, deny climate change, and strip environmental protections that safeguard our children’s futures.
They mock sustainability, deregulate polluters, and take money from corporations that treat the Earth like an expendable commodity.
If they are pro-life, why aren’t they fighting for clean water in Flint?
Why aren’t they outraged by black mothers dying in childbirth at triple the rate of white mothers?
Why are they voting against feeding programs, housing assistance, mental health funding, and veteran support?
This isn’t pro-life.
This is pro-birth, pro-punishment, and pro-power.
It is not moral. It is not consistent.
And it is certainly not Christ-like, as many claim to support.
Life doesn’t end at the womb. And our obligation to it shouldn’t either.
Being truly pro-life means standing up for the hungry, the sick, the immigrant, the elderly, the prisoner, and the planet.
It means caring about the child in a cage as they do in the collection of cells in a sonogram.
We don’t need more slogans. We need integrity.
We don’t need more culture wars. We need compassion.
We don’t need more hypocrisy. We need humanity.
So the next time someone claims to be “pro-life,” I dare them to prove it.
Not in words, but in policy, empathy, and action.