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How to Save a Life

by Margaret Datiles 

“One save today!”

My youngest brother came through the front door, snow flurrying in after him.  On this cold December day, a young woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, alone and afraid, had visited an abortion clinic to get an abortion. 

But when she got to the front steps of the abortion clinic, she was no longer alone.  She was met on the sidewalk by a small group of friendly college students praying the rosary and handing out free pamphlets about pregnancy resource centers.

“What happened?” I asked him eagerly.

“The moment she saw us she just started crying,” he said. “She said she just needed one person to tell her not to do it – not to get an abortion. We talked to her about pregnancy resource centers and gave her all the information we had. She cried more and one of the girls hugged her. We talked a little more, she said, ‘Thanks,’ and then sort of bolted. I guess she wanted to get away from the abortion clinic as fast as she could. Maybe she’ll go to the pregnancy resource center.”

This Christmas season, many Christians may feel powerless against impending pro-abortion healthcare reform, which looms over pro-life America like a tidal wave ready to crash.  But we must remember that unborn lives are being saved every day by regular, everyday Joes like ourselves. And more lives will continue to be saved, regardless of laws being considered in Washington, D.C. The “abortion wars” are fought on more fronts than just the legislative battlefield. There are countless ways that anyone – not just politicians and judges – can save an unborn life.

It didn’t take a new law for my brother and his friends to help a pregnant woman choose life for her unborn child – all it took was prayer, Christian compassion, and a willingness to offer information about pregnancy resources to expectant mothers.

In addition to participating in prayer vigils outside of abortion clinics, such as those organized by 40 Days for Life, you can be actively involved in the pro-life movement by supporting pregnancy resource centers – as a volunteer, financial donor or by simply spreading the word about pregnancy centers to your friends, family and co-workers during everyday conversations. When it comes to pregnancy centers, a little always goes a long way.

There are thousands of such centers in America, with Care Net, one of the nation’s largest pregnancy resource organizations, having over 1,100 centers in various states all over the country.  Care Net and other pregnancy centers offer a wide range of free services to women facing crisis pregnancies, such as ultrasounds, pre-natal care, clothing, baby equipment, housing, employment counseling, adoption referrals, day care assistance and, most importantly – long-term, one-on-one spiritual advising at the woman’s request.  Pregnancy resource centers are the voice of compassion, love and support that many single, expectant mothers need.

Their role in the transformation of culture must not be underestimated. The pro-life movement stands on two legs: legislative and grassroots efforts. 

The legislative approach seeks to reduce abortion rates by establishing legally enforceable rules for human action in the abortion context. It applies to an entire society, either on a state or federal level.

The grassroots approach works on a personal level and seeks to reduce abortion rates by focusing on helping one woman at a time. Pregnancy resource centers are a crucial part of this grassroots movement. 

Both “legs” – the legislative and grassroots – are equally necessary for the renewal of a culture of life.

Pregnancy resource centers are also important because they remind us that a pregnancy involves two people – a mother and a baby.  Critics of the pro-life movement often accuse us of being too “pro-fetus” at the expense of being “anti-woman.” They argue that our focus on the tantamount right to life of the unborn causes us to respond negatively to women.

This accusation presents an opportunity to reflect on our treatment of women who are considering or who have had an abortion. A truly Christian approach to abortion should be one which acknowledges the humanity of the unborn, while also sympathizing with the mother in a loving, non-judgmental way.  This is exactly what pregnancy resource centers do. In this way, they are fully responding to the Gospel’s call of love, forgiveness and service to all men and women for the glory of God’s kingdom.

It is not enough for Christians to work toward eliminating the practice of abortion through law. In addition to limiting (and eventually outlawing) abortion, we must provide for the spiritual, emotional and material needs of pregnant mothers. 

There’s also a very practical reason to support pregnancy resource centers. Think of it this way: although a woman does not properly have a “right to choose” to kill her unborn child, she is nevertheless the one who, in the end, is going to make the decision.  So, we cannot ignore her, mistreat her or dismiss her needs. 

In order for the right decision to be made, we must do our best to eliminate factors which may unduly influence and unfairly determine her decision – whether financial and economic concerns, social pressures or emotional problems. When these issues are addressed, only then can a woman make a truly free and informed choice. 

Indeed, many women who have had abortions have acknowledged that, had they known that there were pregnancy centers offering moral support and material assistance, they would have chosen life for their unborn child. A recent article in Time Magazine crowned pregnancy resource centers as “the new face of an old movement.” With that said, the practical role of pregnancy centers in the pro-life movement’s mission to reduce abortion is self-evident.

The most recent studies and polls show that the abortion rate in the U.S. is at its all-time low, and that the majority of Americans identify themselves as “pro-life” rather than “pro-choice.”  The majority of Americans favor laws that outlaw abortion completely, or else with limited, narrowly defined exceptions.

The steady decline of abortions in America and the growing cultural acceptance of choosing life are due to prayer, pro-life legislation and the work of grassroots organizations such as pregnancy resource centers. 

Despite this success, pregnancy resource centers are under attack in certain states.  For example, in Maryland, a bill has been introduced to the Baltimore City Council that unfairly targets pro-life pregnancy resource centers, requiring them (and not other pregnancy centers) to post signs in their waiting rooms to alert women that they do not offer abortion or abortion referrals.  The bill unconstitutionally discriminates based on viewpoint, and pro-life groups, from Care Net to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, are working tirelessly against it.

It is evident that there is much work to be done.  No matter what defeats we may suffer in the legislative season, each and every one of us can meaningfully participate in the pro-life movement and save lives. As Christians, there are no exceptions to God’s call to serve others and fight for His kingdom on earth.

Even if we cannot see an immediate outcome, every little action counts. You don’t need to be a legislator or a full-time activist.  Just volunteer at a pregnancy resource center, pray outside of an abortion clinic, talk about pregnancy centers with your friends, don a “Choose Life” license plate on your car, or donate money to a pro-life organization – that is how to save a life.

 

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(The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Headline Bistro or the Knights of Columbus.)