By Devyn Nelson
Why am I pro-life?
That is a question that can often be asked to those participating in pro-life activities. For me, the answer is very simple. I am pro-life because I think it is wrong to take the life of other human beings, especially those who are most innocent among us.
That is the simple answer, but as always, there is much more to it. I am pro-life for many reasons, since there are many issues covered by the pro-life label. I am pro-life because I think it is wrong to take the life of other human being. I am also pro-life because I think that the right to life is the most fundamental right a human being can have; that without it, I couldn’t possibly have a basis for any other right, whether it be enshrined in the constitution or just expected. I am pro-life because I know what has happened historically when groups of people have had their right to life taken away. I want to be on the right side of history.
I am pro-life because I think life issues (abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide) affect us all; that they are not individual issues. Humans are social creatures, no one lives in a bubble completely unattached from everybody else. Decisions, especially those that end with the taking of a life, have an impact on everybody. I am pro-life because I have seen firsthand the damage that occurs in an abortion. I am pro-life because I am pro-woman; because I believe women deserve better; because we all deserve better.
I am pro-life because I understand that the people who need a strong, vocal, pro-life message, are those who cannot speak for themselves. I am pro-life because if I’m not, who will be? I am pro-life because I would hope that someone would stand up for my life if I wasn’t able to defend it myself.
I am pro-life because I couldn’t imagine not being pro-life.
Devyn Nelson attended the National Right to Life Academy in 2010. He is now the Executive Director of North Dakota Right to Life.
Editor’s note. This first appeared at www.ndrl.org/blog/167-why-am-i-pro-life