March for Life
All life is precious, and all life is a gift. From the moment we are born, we begin a journey to become the best versions of ourselves. We are given a blank slate to write our own stories and build a better world for those who come after us. We are also entrusted with the responsibility to ensure the next generation has the same opportunity. Today marks the 2023 March for Life, a day celebrating God’s greatest gift, and a reminder that we must continue the fight to protect what is most precious to us.
The March for Life is an annual rally, but it represents a never-ending fight. There will always be individuals who say that life is not worth it, that not every life is a gift, that sometimes, life is a burden. We rally each January because too often, women are told that ending their pregnancy is the only option they have. We rally because too many individuals are still unaware of the true consequences of ending a life before it even begins. We rally because life is always worth fighting for.
As a man, I know I have a limited – and sometimes ignorant – voice when it comes to issues faced by women. I will be the first to admit that I have not experienced first-hand the emotions that come with ending a pregnancy. But as a man who believes all life is precious, I have lived the second-hand experience of supporting a friend and feeling utterly helpless. I’ve supported friends through two similar experiences, and each had a vastly different outcome.
One friend, who I’ll refer to as Natasha, was around 21 years old when she realized she was pregnant. She lived a normal, happy life – raised by both parents in a middle-income household. She desperately wanted to keep her child, but her parents pressured and guilted her into ending the pregnancy. Natasha’s mother told her that having a baby was life-changing. What she didn’t know was that ending the life of her unborn child would also be life-changing. Natasha’s mother eased her worries, she provided pamphlets and literature describing how she would heal physically in no time. Unfortunately, nobody told Natasha about the lifetime of emotional healing she’d search for. Today, Natasha puts her pain on paper – the would-be life of her unborn child lives on through her poetry. The hopes and dreams of her child once extinguished by a procedure, receive color, life, and love through Natasha’s words.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is my friend Tia. Tia’s home life was one that no child should be raised in. If you were on the outside looking in, you’d put a million-dollar bet on the likelihood of someone going to jail, dropping out of school, or… getting pregnant. Tia also wanted to keep her baby and she refused to let anyone talk her out of it – although many tried. Having a child in the best of circumstances is already difficult and scary. I can only imagine what having a child in the worst of circumstances looks like. But to God be the glory – she did it. Today, my little buddy is 12 years old and the most perfect little human. A little spunky, but I can’t imagine a world without her.
Ending a pregnancy is a decision with long-lasting, real-life consequences. It’s not a quick fix or an easy way out of a tricky situation. Ending a life before it begins is something that stays with you, it’s something that weighs heavily on your heart, and it’s something that many women spend a lifetime grappling with. Modern society depicts abortion as a minor procedure, a quick remedy that is really “no big deal”. Pamphlets will tell you about the minimal physical risks. Very few people are willing to talk about the emotional scarring, the heartache, the lifetime of “what-ifs.”
We also can’t talk about life without talking about faith. In fact, faith is what gives life meaning. Faith that the life you bring to the world will grow to do great things. Faith that you’ll have the support and opportunities needed to build the future that you and your family deserve. Without faith, it’s easy to take life for granted. But with the right support systems and a little trust in that higher power, there’s no challenge that we can’t rise to meet.
As you attend and reflect on the March for Life today, I hope you will keep my words in mind. Let’s continue fighting to protect life. Let’s continue building support systems for young mothers. Let’s continue to lift up our brothers and sisters. If we can do that, I promise you there are brighter days ahead.
