Why we cannot continue to persist on bad semantics

I was new to everything 20 years ago when I meandered along the brick pavers of the evangelical institution I’d recently moved to — new to the country, not-yet 18-years old. Growing up in an ex-patriot community, I’d always known I was American, but it always came with the caveats: “but I’ve never really lived there” and “but I’m not really like them.”

At the beginning of most college terms, there’s an expo of tables to join various clubs and associations. When I passed the Young Republicans table without signing up, someone yelled after me “Baby Killer!” And while that individual later became a close friend of mine and went on to work for Hillary Clinton at the State Department, in the moment, I was so very shocked that to this day, I have never unheard and unfelt the sting of judgement that just because I didn’t sign my name to a conservative political ideology, I was somehow less “for life.”

It was at my generally conservative Christian high school and college, though, that I learned to think holistically and critically. Let us not forget — good humans can be found everywhere AND there is closed-mindedness anywhere on the political spectrum, not just on conservative campuses. The greatest danger of all is being so staunchly held to adopted opinions that you forget to be curious and oriented by truth-seeking.

In my senior capstone class in college, I studied Literature and the Post-Human — a collection of dystopian novels and philosophies that I never dreamed would be so much a part of my present reality. In one of those class discussions I remember hearing and really digging into this idea of pro-life and what it means. The conclusion I came to there was that “for life” must mean “for the full spectrum of life” — there is no partial way to be for life. That then means human life, our planet, the life of the immigrant, the woman, the elderly, the black man, the inmate, even the crazy ex-husband.

I realized then, 20 years ago, that there was no way that “pro life” could actually mean “for life.” It meant something more like “for protection.” Life is a moral choice through and through. Just like what it means to love your neighbor or how to show generosity today. And in the political sense, “pro life” choices are daily denying the lives of so many others in their wake.

But it sounds good, doesn’t it? “Pro-life?” The semantics make it easy to pass along, generation to generation, with out having to think about it critically. Pro-protection; driven by fear. It’s not about life at all — it couldn’t be. Else the same ideology would value the lives of poor children, black and brown people, gay people, shut-ins, those who’ve made poor choices. That same ideology would want life to persist, so it would drive movements for gun reform, social support systems, maternal health, education, mental wellness. But it somehow does not. Because protection is about sand-bagging away from the things we are afraid of; it is not about life. The unborn have not offended us yet, so it somehow feels good to say we’re protecting them. Once they are on our street corner, however, all bets are off.

I’m a woman and a mother of three, two of which I carried to term in my own womb. The third is my step-daughter and I love her wholly as my own. I love them all fiercely. The thought of an abortion makes my entire gut turn. I also know it’s incredibly complex and personal and all tied to each human’s story — and it is not at all on me to doubt the strength and intelligence of fellow women to be able to thoughtfully, prayerfully make the best choices for their family with the medical expertise of those who journey with them.

Morally, I want every cell to thrive. I choose life. I’ll choose it every time. I’ll lovingly sit with others and urge them to do the same — because they are my neighbors; they are who I am called by God to love. It’s not government’s job to define or enforce morality, though.

Having choice is something that makes us image bearers of Christ — who chose to die to give us the choice to choose him. “Make good choices” is something I tell my kids a lot — because that’s how they learn to be good, critically thinking humans.

Our commission is to go into the world and be light, not to curse darkness. It’s to love, not to hate haters. We encourage moral choices on Sundays, from pulpits but then don’t want to live in a world where that choice is actually possible. Because what if someone makes the wrong choice on my watch? Does it make me a failure?

Taking away human rights is never going to put us on the right side of history. It just isn’t. It’s cowardly and entitled and bigoted. We’ve been here before. It’s had different words and different context, but the bottom line is that we now regress. When we are not striving to understand history, we are in the greatest danger of repeating its ugly parts.

I am for life. The full spectrum of life. And I could proudly say that because I am a woman of my generation, standing on the shoulders of all of the many women and allies who have marched and written and led movements to have that right. Now I am for fetal life because I have no other choice and that is simply slavery.