Most people classify with only two camps: The "pro-choice/pro-abortion" side, and the "pro-life/anti-abortion" side. I see a third camp.
Where?
Well, I've noticed that many anti-abortion people aren't necessarily pro-life. That is, they're certainly against abortion, they know it's murder, and it's wrong. But they'll follow that up with, "Thank heavens my husband got a vasectomy after {insert # here} kids." That started to stand out to me. "There is such thing as birth control, you know. Reproductive responsibility?" Perhaps we have a different understanding of the word...
Pro-life.
"Pro" in my world means towards, or pursuing. Assisting, upholding, helping. Dictionary.com says, "in favor of a proposition, opinion, etc." In favor. How can someone be "in favor of" life, if they advocate for birth control, or look down upon the possibility of... another life?
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying those things are necessarily wrong, but they are not pro-life.
My garden has hit it's "prolific" stage. Everything is starting to produce. It's pro... lific... Hm, where have I seen words like that before?
Dictionary.com defines prolific as:
–adjective
1.
producing offspring, young, fruit, etc., abundantly; highly fruitful: a prolific pear tree.
2.
producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive: a prolific writer.
3.
profusely productive or fruitful (often fol. by in or of ): a bequest prolific of litigations.
4.
characterized by abundant production: a prolific year for tomatoes.
You might be anti-RoundUp in your garden. You might think it would be wrong (from a gardening standpoint) to till up the whole place as your seeds begin to germinate. But you wouldn't necessarily be pro-garden if you tried to keep seeds from being planted there, or at least more than a few. You wouldn't be considered prolific that way. :)
For myself, I have decided I can't be "pro-life" if I don't rejoice to hear of someone's baby on the way. Even if it's baby #20. Even if it's "special-needs." Even if everyone else in the baby's life is lackluster in their excitement. Even if money is tight. Even if (and this is a little harder) the parents have no business (in my opinion) raising anyone. :)
So, if you're pregnant (again) and someone asks if "it was planned" (again), you can just reply, "how could it not be? I'm not just anti-abortion, I'm pro-life."
5 comments:
Interesting thoughts. And true, too.
So...are you? Pregnant (again)? :)
As far as I know, no. :) And I can't say I want to be pregnant again, yet. Oh, that adoption were easier! :]
Good post!!
Haha :) I was joking, really. I understand exactly what you mean.
This is really interesting! Thanks for making me think. The whole birth control issue is endlessly confusing/conflicting to me.
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