This is a short exerpt from The Beauty Myth, by Naomi Wolf regarding the airbrushing of photos in magazines...

"This issue is not trivial.  It is about the most fundamental freedoms:  the freedom to imagine one's own future and to be proud of one's own life.  Airbrushing age off women's faces has the same political echo that would resound if all positive images of blacks were routinely lightened.  That would be making the same value judgement about blackness that this tampering makes about the value of the female life: that less is more.  To airbrush age off a woman's face is to erase women's identity, power, and history."

Let me begin by saying two things; first, these are just some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head for a while – definitely not directed at anyone.  Second, although I will use the terms Pro-Life and Pro-Choice in this (since my sources have) I hate the terms.  They are silly, used specifically for emotionalism on both sides and don’t say anything about either position.  Everyone is for LIFE and everyone is for CHOICE.  I strongly believe we should be saying pro-abortion and anti-abortion since that is the actual issue.

I have become extremely disenchanted with the “Pro-Life” movement lately and these are some of the reasons why.  I hear and see so many people picketing abortion clinics, campaigning on overturning Roe v. Wade platforms and people voting solely on this issue.  But what I do not see is advocacy for a support system to take care of these babies that we want to be born.  The problem is not the law – the problem is the attitude and the heart of the people.  Until that is changed there is no point to changing the law.  I think the way that the writers of “Women’s Voices, Feminist Vision” hits it on the head:

“Does “pro-life” include being “for life” of these children once they are born?  Pro-life politicians often tend to vote against increased spending for services for women and families.”

We call for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and yet we do not support the systems that would help these young mothers choose to keep their child now.  I can not even imagine what a scary prospect it would be to be a single mother, or even to have a baby and give it up for adoption.  Imagine paying for hospital bills, your health, time off of school and work, bad adoptive families and foster care homes, daycare, money, the extreme amount of energy it takes to raise a child - these thoughts are daunting when you have a husband, family, friends and church to surround you – but what if you don’t have those things.  It is an unimaginable task, and yet some women are strong enough to make that choice.

Why is it that we often do not support government aid, healthcare and housing for these women?  If we really believe that the only right decision is to have the baby, than why do we not make it as easy as possible for them, why do we not take the time and money spent on picketing and instead spend it on these women?

Why is it that the church can not get over the fact that these women had sex and actually reach out to them without condition, without judgment.  There is still such a stigma against these girls when we should be applauding them.  They made an extremely hard but wonderful choice!   The church may not agree with their choice to have sex in the first place, but does that give us a right to discount their great choice now?  We accept this change when alcoholics and drug addicts become clean, when other people turn from their “sin” and yet we want unwed mothers to continue to feel the “weight” of their poor choice – to know that they did something wrong.  Instead of being a safe-haven for young women, the church has become a place where they will be judged and gossiped about behind their backs.  Where their child will always have a stigma attached to them.

This was written by a college student who works with Feminists for Life after she became pregnant:

“It took me a long time to overcome the shame that I thought was associated with an unplanned pregnancy. I have stood next to an older, successful, married woman and heard people congratulate her on her "miracle from God," while they avoided looking at my expanding belly and muttered a quick hello. Why should one mother be treated differently than another? Does one mother deserve to be pitied, while the other celebrated, simply because of age, status or circumstance? Is it any wonder women feel driven to abortion? …While I am happy with my choice to bring my baby into this world with my [soon to be] husband at my side, I have also learned that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. There are single, partnered, separated, divorced and widowed mothers and fathers who love their children as much as any married parent could, and those who parent alone certainly work hard and sacrifice unconditionally. They should not feel marginalized; they deserve better.”  

-         Chaunie Saelens Brusie
Former Feminists for Life Intern
President of campus Students for Life

If we truly believe in being “PRO-LIFE”, if we truly believe this is the most important issue to face our country today then we need to call out to our churches and politicians for better aid, better care and better attitudes towards those who choose life.  If the battle is against abortion than those who have chosen to keep their children should be celebrated – not marginalized.