Colette Cooper, blogpost

Throughout my teen years, I often struggled when the topic of anything controversial cropped up in conversations. Most of the time, I would bury my head in the sand and try to avoid serious discussions as much as possible. But as I began to grow and become a little more clued up on certain things, particularly the topic of abortion, I began to realise that avoiding difficult discussions wasn’t always the best way to go about things.

I knew that if I didn’t speak my mind on what I believed to be right, both logically and morally, then I couldn’t influence, motivate or challenge people. I believe this to be necessary in our world today, as, if we forget how to debate and challenge one another, how are we ever going to know if we make a mistake or start to follow the wrong path?

In society today, it’s easy to go along with what everyone else does or says, especially when listening to those who run the most popular TV shows, or our most “influential celebrity idols”. In saying this, if we continue to float along without questioning others and ourselves, how will we truly know if what we’re doing is actually right or justified?

Communicating the pro-life message

Despite not being the most confident person in the world, I have become much braver and more outspoken than I was during my teens. I used to avoid debates at all costs, try to please others as much as possible, and keep my opinions to myself – with the fear that I would be judged and lose all of my friends, particularly due to my pro-life views.

These days, however, I try to challenge myself and others a little more. This isn’t to say I walk around looking for arguments and people to pick fights with – but if the subject of abortion arises, or it’s perhaps a good time for a discussion, I aim to talk to others calmly, informatively, factually, and be there to listen to their thoughts without jumping in and interrupting.

As a pro-lifer, I have learned that listening to others is crucial before trying to get your point of view across, as those with different views may be passionate themselves, certain they’re in the right, in denial, confused, unsure. So, while having discussions and debates with others, I aim to listen as best as I can while finding opportunities to explain why I am pro-life (the fundamentals being that I believe life starts at conception, and to terminate a pregnancy is taking an innocent life, which is, therefore, always wrong).

There are many more areas I sometimes discuss with people, particularly when they ask me different questions or try to challenge me. For the most part, I try to stay calm, talk respectfully, sometimes back up my opinions with facts and figures, and highlight why I believe this to be one of the biggest issues of our generation that needs attention from us all.

It’s not often easy chatting to others about my pro-life views, as we live in a society where the majority of people are essentially “pro-choice”. I also believe there to be a stigma associated with pro-lifers – as people who want to “control women”, or people who don’t care about the mother in the situation and are only concerned about the child she is carrying. This is not the case, certainly for myself and my pro-life friends.

Many pro-life organisations aim to support mothers and families, both before and after abortions, helping them to realise that they are not alone, and providing a wide range of different services to assist them in their needs. I believe this is something that should be emphasised more during the “pro-life debate”, to ensure that others know that we care about every life involved.

Just because something is popular, it doesn’t always make it right

While there is still a bit of hostility towards pro-lifers in Scotland, as I experienced from my first time on the Project Truth Roadshow, I believe many people are misinformed about the pro-life movement, as well as manipulated by the media, which sometimes represents pregnancy as being a setback in life and roadblock to success. This was highlighted on the Saturday Night Live (SNL) show, when actress and comedian Cecily Strong carried out a clown skit, announcing: “I know I wouldn’t be a clown on TV here today if it weren’t for the abortion I had.”

This was also a topic of discussion during COP26, last year, with a message stating that having fewer children is better for the environment, therefore placing negative connotations on the idea of having children. There are many more examples that suggest to women that abortion is a fundamental good, and sometimes the best choice for them in many circumstances; so, standing up against this may often seem strange to others when abortion is so widely accepted.

Something that we should remember is that just because something is popular, it doesn’t always make it right. Even when faced with hostility and feelings of helplessness (as if we’re fighting a losing battle), it’s important to stand up against those trying to ignore facts, science and morality.