Response: In defense of the Pro-Life cause
This is the opinion of Margaret Krutchen, CSB junior.
The title Pro-Life is often associated with being anti-abortion and fighting for every child’s inherent right to life, starting from conception.
However, in response to the opinion piece from last semester, the CSB/SJU “Students For Life Club” promotes the right to life of all people. Being authentically Pro-Life, as the SFL club stands for, is to support life from conception to natural death. It means supporting all life issues—from ending the death penalty, ending physician-assisted suicide (death with dignity), promoting greater disability rights, ending abortion, providing better financial assistance for low-income families and many other issues directly related to protecting the dignity of human life.
Abortion is still a major moral concern. The St. Cloud Planned Parenthood may not provide abortions, but the Students For Life group was peacefully protesting the immoral practices of this international institution.
Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood and eugenicist, repeatedly proclaimed that certain people should not be allowed to have children, including racial and ethnic minorities.
Planned Parenthood, as a whole, provided 354,871 abortions between 2019 and 2020. That is 354,871 babies (not fetuses) killed in the womb. This is not healthcare. Is an unborn baby only human when he or she is wanted or planned for? No. Babies in the womb are their own person with their own unique set of DNA, an evident characteristic of human life, and a biologically verified fact.
In contrast, Pregnancy Resource Centers (also in St. Cloud) provide the same reproductive health services as Planned Parenthood but from a drastically more ethical, family-friendly approach.
Approximately 2,700 Pro-Life PRCs nationwide served almost two million people in 2019. They offer STD/STI and HIV testing, cancer screenings, pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and health services for both men and women.
Oftentimes, these services are free, abiding by Title X guidelines and supporting patients who fall under its jurisdiction. These facilities have expanded their community outreach by providing free parenting and prenatal education programs for new parents, diapers and clothing for newborn babies, after-abortion support for women and sexual risk avoidance education presentations for students. PRCs do not offer abortions, meaning both mother and child are treated with equal dignity, respecting life at every stage.
In defense of the Students For Life Club members, they were, in fact, peacefully protesting. The referenced Instagram image of the four SJU students was despicably taken out of context. The SFL Club joined a small group of 40 Days for Life (an international anti-abortion organization) to stand in front of the St. Cloud Planned Parenthood and peacefully pray the rosary.
The day the club prayed was a Saturday when this Planned Parenthood was closed, nullifying the argument of fear-mongering their patients. The SFL nonviolent activism would have continued to happen regardless of whether the facility was open or not.
On that day, unfortunately, their peacefulness was met by obscene hand gestures and inappropriate profanities, showing a drastic contrast to the negatively portrayed image of these Pro-Lifers.
Authentic Pro-Life advocacy is about promoting every person’s inherent right to life. Abortion dehumanizes the smallest and most vulnerable among us. It is the slippery slope to dehumanizing other people. It contradicts the Pro-Life stance of defending every life at all stages by ending abortion, yes, but also by confronting all issues directly related to the dignity of human life.
As a Catholic institution, CSB/SJU should continue to support and fund clubs that promote Catholic Benedictine values, such as respect for persons. The Catholic Church denounces abortion and other Culture of Death practices, such as the death penalty and assisted suicide. The SFL club upholds these values, therefore validating the funding provided by CSB/SJU.
The Pro-Life cause is noble and just. Standing up for the right to life of unborn babies and all members of the human family from conception to natural death is a beautiful purpose to live by. Genuine promotion of Pro-Life issues is about respectful consideration, love and compassion for all people.
As a Students For Life member, I am not the spokesperson for the club, but I believe SFL truly promotes and upholds these values and should continue to be respected on our campuses.