Greetings, commies!
Every holiday season we get bombarded with requests to support various causes. Every time I open my mailbox, a stack of donation requests falls out. These requests come from various charities that I have contributed to at least once. Everyone knows that once you donate $10, you are in the database forever. This year is particularly interesting, because the pre-holiday madness also overlaps with the post-election madness. No matter what your political or religious persuasion may be, you are encouraged to "put your money where your mouth is."
One of the trends in the pro-choice movement is laying guilt on their pro-life adversaries by reminding us that our support for "life" in general does not end with the child's birth. We keep hearing, "If you want to see this child born, but not clothed, fed, medicated and educated, then you are not truly pro-life." Let's take a step back. I think it's safe to state that most of us do not want to see any person go naked, hungry, sick and uneducated. We pay federal and state taxes that partially go to support those who are struggling financially. Apparently, being a compliant taxpayer is not enough. If you maintain a pro-life position, you also have to prove that you go above and beyond to alleviate the suffering of those already born.
As a fairly vocal pro-life advocate, I hear this question quite often: "How many kids have YOU adopted?" And I don't have a problem providing a candid answer, which seems to disarm my opponents: "I cannot afford to adopt. I stopped at one child myself, because I could not financially commit to any more." One child is all I can afford in this socioeconomic atmosphere. My husband and I use non-abortive contraception to control our family size. Any more questions? As much as I would love to adopt, and as much I believe in the idea of adoption, I do not have $40K floating around just to cover the administrative costs. I do what I can to support various charities dedicated to the relief of mothers and children. I have no illusions about my modest donations solving the complex problem of world hunger. It's just a tiny sand grain.
Still, your own financial situation and your ability to contribute to poverty relief should not affect your right to claim a pro-life stance. The pro-life movement is not a private club where you need to pay membership dues or show receipts for all the mother-and-child friendly organizations you've supported. If you can - that's fantastic. But if you are struggling financially yourself at this stage in your life, you should not feel like an inferior pro-life activist. It doesn't cost a penny to advocate for the innate right of each child to be born. You don't have to be rich. You don't have to be a Christian. You don't even have to believe in God. You don't have to open the Bible or any other religious text. Just open a textbook on embryonic development.
Happy holidays!
Deplorably yours,
Connecticut Commie
Well said! Also, it's important to remember that helping to support a new or expectant mother who's struggling can be as simple as dropping off a bag of gently used pregnancy clothing or bottles, a swing--whatever you've got that can help out at a pregnancy center.
ReplyDeletePregnancy Centers welcome volunteers to stuff bottles for churches to hand out (which come back filled with donations).
Also, being a sympathetic, listening ear to a woman who's going through a bad time so that she doesn't feel cut off and isolated by the difficulties of pregnancy or being a new mom can be a real help too.
There are many ways to contribute-- and really, adoption is just the most drastic. The most optimal option each child has is to stay with his or her birth mother whenever practical. And I'm glad to be part of a movement that makes this possible.