What Does It Mean To Be Pro-Life?

Today, January 22nd, is the 39th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion on demand in the United States, resulting in over 54 million abortions to date.

Many Americans, however, choose a pro-life standing, one that is firmly against the abortion decision and sees the unborn as persons of value, created in the image of God and deserving of basic human rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

But is that all there is? What, truly, does it mean to be pro-life? It includes the abortion issue, to be sure, but it goes far beyond that.

Being pro-life is a worldview and a life-view. We see life as beginning with conception and ending in natural death, which determines how we treat others. It means we stand against abortion, suicide, homicide, genocide, euthanasia, domestic violence, abuse, and discrimination against race, sex, and religion.

It means we visit and serve those in prison and stand for their redemption, and help the poor and homeless find food, shelter, and quality employment. It means we respect those who differ in opinion, but will not tolerate the degradation and destruction of human life.

It means we stand with women who are facing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies to find alternatives to abortion, recognizing that their life is equal to but not more important than that of their unborn child. It means we stand for the right to remove the baby when the life of the mother is endangered, not because her life is more important than her child’s, but because we save the life we can.

It means we stand for protection of children, the elderly, and the disabled. It is why we stand for the death penalty when someone, with premeditation, takes a life. It means we value human life above plant or animal life.

It means that we preach, teach, live out, and are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is through Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). It means we see all human life as worth the blood of Christ.

This is what it means to be pro-life.