How Can You Call Yourself Pro-Life

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How can you call yourself pro-life and not support free lunches, open borders, socialized healthcare? Well, you fill in the blank. First, off, such talk is a diversionary tactic, disingenuous. Can we simply agree that we ought not to be killing babies, whether they are in the womb or have been born? It really is that simple.

But then comes the litany of other issues that supposedly invalidate the pro-life position. Are you against immigrants? No, but it's a policy matter having to do with the health of the nation and the safety of its inhabitants. The Biden-Harris administration touted its own immigration reform bill that would purportedly impose limits. Does that mean they were no longer pro-life? What about universal healthcare? That's a political question about how best to provide safety and wellness. Here again we are not debating whether it is a good thing to provide medicine to a sick person, but instead, what is the best and most effective way. Does not providing free lunches to every kid mean someone is not pro-life? Well, I think we all want kids to eat, though perhaps not every meal should be government funded. I want all people to have a home, and yet I don't find that socialism or communism is the best way to do that.

So, think again of the immigration debate, if that's what it is. Kamala Harris was tasked with overseeing some border issues, which means she thought having a border was a good idea, and that immigrants should enter according to some process. Who could disagree? But with abortion, it's an entirely different prospect.

We can debate about what kind of economic system best provides for a free and prosperous nation, and what we should do to help those who are in need, and cannot help themselves. The fact that people are still trying to enter our nation tells us that we are doing a pretty good job of it. But now we are asking not how a kid's lunch will be paid for, but whether he will ever eat lunch at all, whether he will see the light of day.

Many socialized countries provide just about every benefit. If you live in China, you don't have to pay to go to the doctor. Does that mean it's a paradise? A great place to raise a kid? And what happens when the system can no longer afford you or your treatment? Closer to home, Canada pays the medical bills, but not all of them. Does that invalidate their concern for healthcare? And what if you're old, and the system has no room for you, can't or won't help because you are no longer productive? A child with Down Syndrome may have certain obstacles to overcome, but living is better than not living. We may not yet be able to cure all cancers, but we can certainly not poison a child in the womb. You can tell me that you want border to be more open, but then why stop the little ones from seeing the light of day? You tell me about bodies and choices, but you never look at, marvel at, the little body in the womb, the child who may never participate in our debates about immigration, capitalism or socialism.

All of this is to say, we can talk about all the issues. About immigration, taxes, capitalism and socialism, healthcare, kids' lunches and the like. But as trump cards, they just don't work. First, don't kill the kid. Then we can talk about what's next, and what's best for the child and for all of us. But there is no welcoming without life, no immigration without life, no healthcare without life. End abortion, and that child can join our conversation.

The Rev. Dr. Peter Scaer is a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Be Informed
A recent report on women’s health care and pro-life laws offers intriguing results. Learn more about them here.

Be Equipped
The GOP is showing cowardice on life in the womb. See how some members are gutting sanctity of life issues in ways that will have long-term devastating impacts.

Be Encouraged
“If the Christian church is passionate about protecting every life, then we will need to learn how to meet relational needs. When an unplanned pregnancy happens, the baby’s parents often have massive needs to help them grow as people and, perhaps, as a couple. Could you be God’s way of meeting such needs?” –Pastor Mike Novotny, Time of Grace