I am pro-life, but at times I am unhappy with the movement itself. To start, my personal definition of what it means to be pro-life is to protect, respect and improve the quality of living without distinction for everyone in any stage of life. To further clarify, the stages of life begin upon the moment of conception and do not end until the moment of death. Again, to be pro-life is to protect, respect, and improve the quality of living for each stage of life. While this does include unborn babies, it also includes infants, children, the mother of the unborn baby, elderly people and anybody in between. Although this is what the movement stands for, the focus seems to be centered around ending abortion. This is a crucial part of the movement and I don't think any less energy should be put toward it, but I would like for those who are pro-life and reading this to consider the way they go about expressing their beliefs.

Most people associate the pro-life movement with a gaggle of people standing in front of a Planned Parenthood with signs, protesting against those who are about to enter the clinic. Before I begin to explain my new feelings toward this idea, I would like to admit that I may come across as hypocritical. I have stood on the sidewalk outside of a Planned Parenthood several times with a sign that read, "Smile, Your Mother Chose Life!" I thought I was doing something brave, revolutionary and helpful by protesting. Because I was standing alongside of a busy intersection, I received a lot of attention. Many people smiled and waved and some shouted small quips of thanks and appreciation as they drove past me. Others did not acknowledge my presence as they whizzed by. These were the same people who carefully avoided eye contact as they waited for the light to change from red to green. Every once in awhile, a person who blatantly opposed the pro-life movement drove by. They expressed their disdain by flipping me the bird and shouting swears or insults. When this happened, I either looked at my feet or shared a look of disgust with another one of the protestors. When my protesting shift ended, I always drove away feeling like I did my good deed for the day. I genuinely felt like I made a difference. Still, the voices and movements of those who disagreed with me stung. "What jerks." I would think to myself before going on with my day. I'm sure they felt the same about me.

I also volunteered at a non-profit charity named Our Lady's Inn with a small group of girls from school. Our Lady's Inn collects and distributes supplies and everyday necessities for babies and mothers alike, and they also provide a home for pregnant woman, woman with children and woman with babies or infants. Some of these woman are married and some of them are single mothers. Most of them are coming from an unstable background. This includes but is not limited to homelessness or the verge of it, domestic abuse, unemployment, or just the inability to care for themselves for any reason. The goal of this charity is to prevent these woman from feeling like they had no choice but to have an abortion, as well as provide them with resources that they need to be successful. The environment is absolutely judgement free, and the woman are surrounded with other woman who not only empathize with how they feel, but truly understand or at least attempt to understand what they may be going through. It is truly beautiful and my dream is that one day this is what people will envision when they hear the term pro-life. When the woman feel comfortable enough to leave the home, they are provided with transition housing, and the organization strives to help each woman find gainful employment. Even once the baby is born, Our Lady's Inn checks in on them and provides them with the resources and materials that they need. In other words, the mother and the child are both equally important and cared for.

When summer came, I reflected on my first year of being active in the pro-life community. I wasn't very happy with myself. I understand why people think that protesting outside of Planned Parenthood is beneficial, I truly do. It creates a great sense of community for those who are pro-life, as they are accompanied and praised by people who share their same beliefs. But to be blunt, that is about all it does and I feel you could achieve the same results just by talking to somebody who feels similarly to you. I am not knocking those who are trained to approach cars and provide information about other options while still being empathetic. These people are needed and important, as they are genuinely helping while hopefully not coming across as abrasive. However, for those of us who are not trained and want to live out the pro-life movement, we must find a different way to go about it. We cannot further the divide between ourselves and those who are pro-choice. By standing outside of Planned Parenthood, we are not furthering the dialogue or spreading the message of what it means to be pro-life. All we are doing is ticking off the people who disagree with us without even allowing ourselves the opportunity to respectfully communicate with them, as well as shaming the very people that we should be helping (the mothers). If you want to spread the love of life that our movement stands for, find a group much like the one that I volunteer with. If this is not an option for you, you can create dialogue within your community (the wider community, not just those who are pro-life), adopt or at least dedicate time to babies and children that are living (as they are equally as important as those who are unborn), or donate materials needed to mothers and babies alike. You certainly need to be helpful and empathetic toward mothers, as hostility and abrasiveness will get you nowhere. In addition to this, look into ways to improve the quality of living for the many stages of life inhabiting our world. This could mean volunteering as a hospice volunteer or in a nursing home, spending time with troubled teens without judgement, tutoring young children in areas where they may struggle, or volunteering at a non-profit charity of any kind. It is time for us to show the world what the pro-life movement is truly about!