I've been keeping my cool on the political side of things lately, but when Trump called himself "pro-life" during last week's debate, I snapped.
Trump said he is "pro-life", but his positions hardly reflect any respect for life outside of the womb. Due to this miscommunication and fear rhetoric Trump has been pushing, I believe I must point out the difference between those who claim to be "pro-life" and what the term "pro-life" actually implies.
If you are pro-life, you should be anti-war. If you are pro-life, you should be against EVERYTHING Russia is currently doing to the people of Syria (you've seen the videos, it's mass murder and frankly, terrorism). If you are pro-life, you should be demanding that our government give more aid to refugees, to the impoverished and hungry in our own nation, to all the college kids drowning in debt for trying to better their lives in some way, etc. If you are PRO-LIFE, and if you shout "ALL LIVES MATTER" in the face of racial minorities whose struggle you know nothing about, then you should TAKE BETTER CARE OF THE LIVES THAT EXIST ON THIS EARTH, in AND outside of the womb! Being PRO-BIRTH does NOT make you necessarily PRO-LIFE. Nor does being PRO-CHOICE make you ANTI-LIFE. Don't get it twisted.
With that being said, I won't share my personal opinion on the topic of abortion (I'm a Christian who has great respect for all life, so you can probably infer what I would do in that position if it were me), but I don't think it's the government's business to make that choice for someone. Making abortion illegal won't stop abortions from happening. We all know that. Roe vs. Wade didn't START abortion in America; rather, it sought to put an end to illegal, back-alley abortions that were killing young women who underwent the procedure.
Again, I must state that whether I agree with abortion or not is not the point here. As I said before, as a Christian young woman with a great amount of respect for all life you can probably infer what I would choose if I were faced with the situation in which I had to choose to abort or choose to give birth. My point, rather, is this: IF YOU ARE PRO-LIFE, then HELP YOUR FELLOW MAN! If you are pro-life, then be good to ALL life and do whatever you can to protect and provide for all life in ALL stages. Even your enemies. Even people whose skin looks different than yours. Even people who are homosexual. Even people who are poor. Even people who are female. EVERYONE. If you are truly PRO-LIFE, and not just PRO-BIRTH, then truly, deeply, LOVE EVERYONE YOU ENCOUNTER. Care for them. Help them in any way you can. Don't simply cry out for a child to be born, then abandon the child and its mother as soon as it is out of the womb.