I Was Raised Catholic But I Am Not Pro-Life

By writing this, I understand that many people will disagree, including some people in my family and that's fine. I have my opinions and you have yours, but before you start bashing this or throwing a fit, let me explain a little.

When I say I was raised Catholic, I mean all through elementary school, I prayed everyday and somewhat enjoyed church. I went to a Catholic school and followed all the rules to a fault. Hell, I was a prayer leader and a cantor in the choir, both by choice.

The only problem was that I was sheltered from everything that was happening around me. I didn't know what gay meant until I was in 5th or 6th grade and I was taught that it was extremely wrong. I accepted that because it's what I was told and I hadn't reached my questioning authority phase yet.

Junior high is where I really learned about the church's thoughts on pre-marital sex, the LGBT community, birth control, suicide, and abortions.

By the time I was in high school, I disagreed with all of it. And in college, I stopped going to church altogether because, in my opinion, the church is wrong on too many subjects.

I've written about my support for the LGBT community and for those contemplating suicide as well those who have committed suicide, so I won't get into that.

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Maybe I'll write an article on the other stuff, but now, let's get to the main event: why I disagree with the church's opinion on abortions.

Probably my junior year of high school, I went to a March for Life, mostly because my best friend was going, but I don't regret it. I got to see many points of views and when I went home, I knew exactly how I felt.

It's not that I don't think babies are important or that they deserve to die. I'm not a heartless bitch, contrary to popular belief, but I do think in some cases, the woman's health is far more important than the babies.

For example, a woman has cancer that needs to be treated immediately, otherwise, she has no chance of living more than a few months. She is pregnant and receiving treatment could cause a miscarriage or worse. Should she forgo treatment so her baby can grow up without a mother, assuming the baby lives? Or should she fight for her life now?

As someone who had cancer and knows people that tried to fight, but lost the battle, if you have even the slightest chance of beating it, you take it. I don't care about the effects, because if the woman dies, there's no guarantee that the baby will survive either.

Another example is pregnancy as a result of sexual assault or abuse. These women and girls didn't ask to be assaulted or end up pregnant because of it. Therefore, it shouldn't be their responsibility to go through the pain and struggles that come with being pregnant. It's also not right for a baby to be forced to grow up in this terrible situation.

Finally, sometimes it's not just the right time, whether it be because of a career or where you are in certain relationships, or maybe the birth control failed. Whatever it may be, that's your business, but in this situation, I believe that the procedure needs to be done as soon as possible.

If you have ever been in a position where it's your life or the baby, you had to at least consider getting an abortion. Now, the church may say that makes you a sinner, but I say that makes you human.

To end I want to say, unlike much of my family, I believe having or not having a baby is your choice and people should not try to change your opinion, especially since it's not their body.

I apologize if this hurts anyone's feelings because that was not my intention, however, I will not apologize for disagreeing with the things I was taught by the Catholic church.