October is Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church. It is a month of prayer and remembrance of all the lives lost to abortion. It is a time of hope for a future where this evil act ceases to exist.

Yes, I believe the act of abortion is "evil" because I am a female, pro-life college student.

I know this is not a view commonly held on liberal college campuses, but hear me out. I think what often turns young people off from the pro-life movement is the notion that pro-lifers believe the women who have had abortions are evil, the scum of the earth. That they have no place in the pro-life community.

This is not the case.

I feel nothing but empathy for women who have undergone abortions. To feel so incredibly lost and hopeless that abortion seems like the only option is a tragedy of our modern world.

Women who have had abortions are not the enemy.

The politicians who use these women for their political agendas are a different story. People who deny facts and selectively inform to sustain their fragile narrative and those who tell women they are weak and incapable-these are the real enemies.

We are taught in middle school health class that abortion is a simple choice. Baby or no baby. We are taught that this decision can be made before or after sex. Abortion is akin to an "undo" button. Walk in, have an abortion, walk out. Life goes on.

This is a lie.

What they don't tell you in sixth grade is how an abortion is performed. They don't tell you the risks.

They don't show you the forceps used to cut your baby into pieces, nor the suction which siphons out baby's brain.

They don't tell you the doctor has to count each and every body part to make sure everything has been removed, as failure to do so could result in a potentially fatal infection.

Instead, they tell you it's a choice.

It's your body, and it's an empowering choice to make. After all, it's not really a baby, right? Sure, it has 10 fingers and toes, a heartbeat, can feel pain in the third trimester, respond to light and it's mother's voice. Oh, and with modern technology, it could even survive outside the womb if prematurely delivered as opposed to aborted. But it is absolutely, 100% NOT a baby.

We are told by the media that abortion is necessary for cases of rape. But some data indicate rape only accounts for only 1% of all abortions.

Rape is a disgusting, evil crime. It causes extensive trauma and harm. It victimizes women. Pregnancy resulting from rape is even more painful. For many women, the thought of carrying their rapist's baby is horrific.

However, abortion will not undo the trauma inflicted by rape. It will not initiate healing. Quite the opposite. In 2011, CBS news reported on a British Journal of Psychiatry study that found,

Women who had an abortion were 34 percent more likely to develop an anxiety disorder, 37 percent more likely to experience depression, 110 percent more likely to abuse alcohol, 155 percent more likely to commit suicide, and 220 percent more likely to use marijuana.

I cannot think of a better way to heal from rape which resulted in pregnancy than to give the gift of life. The child is innocent. It has no notion of its conception. It is not a symbol of violence.

It is a baby. To give this child the chance to live, despite the circumstances of its conception, is one of the most courageous and selfless things a woman could do in this situation. The sacrifice of 9 months will provide a lifetime to the child. It is not easy to do, but it is doable. Those of us who seek to protect life will support these women every step of the way.

So no, the pro-life movement is not a group of evil, angry, rich white men who long for a real-life "The Handmaid's Tale."

It is not misogynistic men and self-hating women angling for reducing women's rights.

It is a group of people who don't believe lies and manipulation. People who understand the sanctity of life, and who only wish to protect it. People who wish to spare women and men the pain and suffering which comes with abortion.

The pro-life movement is about love and healing.

And we want to help.

If only you'll let us.