What It Really Means to Be "Pro-Life"

I have a confession to make: I am pro-life. But I’m not anti-choice. 

Okay, I know some of you are confused right now, but please hear me out. I believe that all people are created in the image of God. I believe that all lives are valuable. I believe that human dignity is worth fighting for. And if you’re a Christian, I’m assuming you believe those things too. 

But the thing is, a lot of pro-life efforts center around controlling others’ bodies and restricting their healthcare options—which is the exact opposite of fighting for them. So let me make something clear: 

If your idea of “activism” is standing outside health clinics, screaming obscenities at girls and women you know nothing about, you are not pro-life. 

If you want to force someone with a terminal disease to spend the last few months of their life in agony, rather than allowing them to die with dignity, you are not pro-life. 

If you make derogatory “jokes” about someone's race or ethnicity, you are not pro-life. 

If you tell those living in poverty to “just get a better job,” you are not pro-life. 

If your response to the ill and disabled is “that’s not my problem,” you are not pro-life. 

If you say to refugees, “you’re not welcome here,” you are not pro-life. 

If you support bombing innocent civilians in foreign countries, you are not pro-life. 

If you refuse to vaccinate your child against deadly diseases, you are not pro-life. 

If you spew hatred towards the gay community, you are not pro-life. 

If you blame rape victims for the crime that was committed against them, you are not pro-life. 

If you oppose common-sense gun laws that would keep military-grade weapons out of the hands of dangerous extremists, you are not pro-life. 

If you’re willing to throw someone in prison for having a drug addiction, you are not pro-life. 

If you see nothing wrong with massive corporations polluting our oceans and atmosphere, you are not pro-life. 

I’m not saying that abortion is always right or that assisted suicide is always ethical. I’m only trying to point out that the pro-life movement has, for some reason, decided to focus on controlling others’ bodies at the expense of what it really means to be pro-life: treating people with love and respect. Because you know what? I think that’s something everyone could get behind.