I’ve already discussed my qualms with certain individuals who declare themselves as pro-life, yet only care about unborn children. And yet, here they are, amidst the tragedies of Stoneman Douglas and Maryland, citing abortion statistics.
If you call yourself pro-life, talk about these lives, not just the unborn. I’m tired of seeing Facebook posts that say “_____ number of people have died from school shootings, but ______ number of people die from abortion” and also “Wow, the media loves March For Our Lives, but yet they won’t cover the March For Life”.
Am I missing something here? Is there some unspoken rule that says that there are only so many lives that one can feel is worth protecting? I’m all for fighting for what you believe in, but this isn’t the right way to go about it. Citing abortion statistics at a time like this serves as a red herring. It puts up a wall, and blocks out a conversation that is worth having. By focusing on the recent tragedies, no one is actively saying that the unborn don’t matter. A movement can, and should, focus on multiple injustices at once.
The March For Our Lives was able to do this by including not only Parkland survivors, but speakers from different shootings as well. One of these speakers, Naomi Wilder, stated “I am here today to acknowledge and represent the African American girls whose stories don’t make the front page of every national newspaper.” So why is it so hard for some pro-lifers to fight for lives that aren’t just the babies?
I understand being against stricter gun control. Maybe you don’t support new legislation, but you should at least support the victims. Saying “yeah, but abortion is a problem TOO!!!!” doesn’t help. It doesn’t further your movement, nor does it show any kind of compassion for the people and issues that are worthy of our attention at this moment in time. You can simultaneously be pro-life and pro-NRA, but using abortion as a distraction against gun control isn’t what that looks like. However you feel about abortion or gun control, seventeen lives were lost in Parkland in February, and countless others were changed forever.
You do not deserve to call yourself pro-life if you choose to value some lives over others.
March for the lives of the unborn; they need a voice. But what’s the point of having a voice, of having representation, if people aren’t willing to listen? The Parkland survivors are using their voice. They are speaking out, yet here you are, pro-birthers, shutting them down, refusing to listen to why any lives matter other than the unborn.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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