What does it mean to be Pro-life?

To be pro-life is to value human life from conception to death and to safeguard that life from any potential attackers. Some times we have narrowed our definition so that it only deals with Abortion and Euthanasia but surely to be pro-life is much bigger than this, if we use this narrow definition we are likely to miss all the ways God intends us to be pro-life.

1 We will fight for the preservation of life in the womb, we are not anti-abortionists although we oppose abortion. We see human life as God-given from the very beginning, and we therefore want to nurture that life and seek to protect it from all who would want to kill it. We will seek to promote the health of the mother so that the life of the child is preserved and nourished in the womb.

2 When the child has been born we need to do all that we can to preserve it from harm. That includes fighting against disease and unjust economic systems that cause many children to die in developing nations. We will seek to protect every child from abuse of every type. We must see that as a society we have an important role in protecting the life of children.

3 We will oppose and seek to eradicate all forms of human trafficking whether that be used for cheap labour or sexual exploitation. We need to be aware of the ways millions of people are being kept in a life of misery because someone else can exploit them for financial gain.

4 We will oppose child labour wherever it exists and promote good education for all children. Millions of Children are being exploited today, and we need to see an end to it. One of the results of this is that prices might increase for some of clothing products and other goods but surely this is not too high a price to pay for the preservation of life.

4 We will want to fight the poverty that blights so many of the world’s population, many people in our world can not afford the food and medicine that they need. If we are concerned about preserving life we must fight this battle.

5  We will to care for God’s good creation so that pollution can be kept to a minimum. The results of pollution kill thousands of people on a daily basis. God has given us this planet to care for not to exploit it.

6 We will strive for peace because we serve the Prince of Peace, we will try everything before armed combat is undertaken. Millions of people are affected by armed conflict that could have been avoided. Strident voices often call for the protection of their own interests without considering the effects this will have on their fellow human beings.

7 We will promote good health care for all so that everyone can live a life as free as possible from disease and illness. We will never eradicate disease and illness in a fallen world, but we can make sure that all those who are suffering can receive good treatment.

8 We will take care of the elderly and make sure that are treated with dignity to their dying day. This will lead us to oppose Euthanasia, but it will also lead us to promote good palliative care. We should do all that we can to promote a good quality of life for the elderly.

All of these objectives are what it means to be pro-life we need a wider vision of the value of life than is sometimes given in Christian circles, our God cares about all these issues so should we.