“You’re not pro-life, you’re just anti-abortion” is the accusation normally spat out by pro-abortion advocates when they come across anyone who doesn’t agree with cutting up kids. And, for once, I agree with them. They are right, I am not pro-life, I am unashamedly anti-abortion, and what’s wrong with that?
Pro-abortion advocates and the mainstream media captured the phrase ‘anti-abortion.’ They weaponised it into a slur to be slapped across any person who identified as ‘pro-life.’ And it came with baggage. Extremist. Misogynist. Christian Fundamentalist. Fanatic. These are just some of the terms chained to the phrase ‘anti-abortion’ and any person who was stamped with it.
It is a phrase loaded with ammunition, which is exactly why is must be re-claimed and unashamedly used by the growing anti-abortion movement.
“We must be realistic and we must be ruthless”
In my opinion, the anti-abortion movement has wasted far too much time in cowering behind the phrase ‘pro-life’ in a bid to appear more loving and less ruthless.
But we must be realistic and we must be ruthless.
Abortion is not loving. Abortion is violent discrimination against humans and the degradation of women. If we can acknowledge this reality, we must acknowledge that there is nothing shameful in identifying as ‘anti-abortion.’
If you oppose the concept that it is acceptable to cut up, poison or suction humans to death, you are a reasonable, rational person. You are anti-abortion. So don’t cower from it, instead let’s reclaim it.
One would not dream of cowering from terms such as anti-violence or anti-slavery. So why is ‘anti-abortion’, deemed any different?
Don’t muddle yourself up
The term ‘pro-life’ does not exclusively refer to abortion. It can be used to refer to a wide scope of ‘life issues’: the death penalty, gun control, and opposition to war.
So very often, when one identifies as ‘pro-life’, abortion advocates demand affirmation on your opinions regarding, gun control, the death penalty and war, all in an attempt to call out any ‘hypocrisies’ within your ‘pro-life position.’
The reality, is that, many of those who oppose abortion, will not entirely oppose the death penalty. They could have sympathy towards war in certain circumstances, and they may have varying opinions on the matter of ‘gun control.’ What is important however, is that every one of those people are unified in their complete opposition to abortion.
My advice, don’t waste time muddling yourself up with ‘pro-life’ which has been stretched to refer to so many different issues.
But instead, be direct, be clear and be unashamed in your anti-abortion stance.