We’re touted as the pro-life generation. I have no doubt of that, but how are we still losing to a popular culture of death?
Let me give you some background information. I attended a Christian university in Texas with deep roots to Baptist traditions. Last week, I was on Facebook and looked at a page that posts confessions anonymously from the university. These anonymous confessions range from the tame to the risque.
I scrolled down and saw something that nearly broke my heart.
What followed the confession were more than 30 comments of criticism, judgement and advice to seek an abortion at the local Planned Parenthood clinic in town. I did see a few not-so-popular comments suggesting that the girl keep her child and even a referral to the Care Net if it was “a serious confession” on the page.
But those few comments don’t drown out the overwhelmingly critical response.
Now, there’s really no way of knowing if this student is telling the truth. Confessions are submitted to an anonymous Gmail account or through a survey to maintain complete anonymity. But does it really matter? If it’s not real now for this woman, it could be real in a few weeks, during the next semester or in the upcoming year.
What message does this send? In a world where we’re quick to turn to search engines, online forums and social media, what happens when the response to a problem you are unsure of how to handle is negative?
The pro-life movement has the information to win this war against the culture of death, quick fixes and a disregard for the sanctity of life. The movement has the volunteers who tireless pray outside of abortion clinics, the sidewalk counselors who will urge women to seek life-affirming care and those who work to share messages of hope in the media.
But we need to ensure that our every day habits, our actions, and activity online. So, what can we do everyday to spread the importance of being for life, from conception to natural death?
1. Be a pro-life advocate and be an uplifting example for LIFE. Imagine if the woman who posted that confession on the Facebook page had received an overwhelming response of love and encouragement rather than criticism and judgement.
You can do something things like volunteer at a pro-life organization, collect supplies for a pregnancy resource center’s baby boutique or even purchase Choose Life plates for you car. The more and more we can share with the mainstream culture that life is sacred and important, the better chance we have of changing hearts.
2. Support the local pro-life organizations in your area. From pregnancy resource centers, political groups and to media companies, there are so many organizations fighting for life. Just in the central Texas area alone we have Texas Alliance for Life, Agape Pregnancy Center, Austin Pregnancy Resource Center, the John Paul II Life Center, the Gabriel Project Life Center, Central Texas Coalition for Life, And Then There were None, Heroic Media and so many others.
All of these organizations need your support, even if it’s just keeping their efforts in your daily prayers, which brings us to the last, and most important thing, you can do.
3. Pray, pray, pray. There are hearts and minds being changed everyday. Did you know that nine of the 12 jurors at the Gosnell trial in Pittsburgh identified themselves as pro-choice? There was even a reporter who declared that he could no longer support abortion after covering the trial.
That’s just half of the story. There are women who are making appointments and are choosing life after seeing the ultrasound of their unborn children. There are lawyers, lobbyists and politicians debating pro-life legislation. There are clinic workers choosing to leave their jobs at abortion clinics because they cannot stomach what they do anymore.
These are real life powerful results of the power of prayer.
Above all, there is one thing, out of many, that I’ve come to realize. You can never truly underestimate the effect that even the smallest action can have on someone. You may one day find out you saved a life.
Great post, Elizabeth! The story is heartbreaking, and hopeful at the same time. One must wonder, why would she post such a thing? If she is telling the truth, then she must really be seeking help, or attention or something… You’re right, we have to be brave enough to speak out and show our pro-life colors to the wider world. One positive, supportive and hopeful comment might be all that she is looking for. A ray of hope. She may be wondering, ‘does anyone really care about her’? It’s such a little thing, but you’re right. We have to be brave enough to do what God calls us to – be it prayer, activism, volunteer work, or a simple sincerely comment on someone’s FB post.
Than you Lauren 🙂 Part of me hopes it was just someone looking for a little shock value on that particular Facebook page, but would hate if someone was really reaching out for help.
There were a few really good comments and I hope that the original poster, or anyone who may find themselves in a situation faced with an unplanned pregnancy, could take away the message of hope and love.