My beliefs, in short.
I am prolife. So shoot me now. Hate on me, tell me I’m a judgmental anti-woman anti-choice hypocritical right wing fundamentalist middle-class white male. Ask questions later, or maybe not at all, since you already know what I’m like just because I’m pro-life…
Really?
Because (a) I’m a woman, and (b) while it’s easy to judge on first impressions, it rarely gives you the full picture. I’ve become close with people who have radically opposite ideological or political views to me. I don’t hate on people who can afford to buy themselves (multiple) coffees every day just because I can’t. I’ve learned not to assume the worst about the homeless begging on the streets.There is more to each one of them than what meets the eye, and until I’ve taken the time to get to know them, I simply cannot judge.
So please don’t judge me before you know me.
I am pro-life. But it’s more than you think. I do have moral and ethical reasons to be against abortion.The entity in the womb is human and it is ethically wrong to kill it. But that’s not everything. That might be the face you see when I represent my club at O Week, but it’s much bigger than that.
I believe in the intrinsic value of all human life, and strive in all my actions to uphold and promote the dignity and value of this life. Being pro-life is not just the icing on the cake. It’s the flavour that permeates through all my actions. It’s about giving my morning tea to the homeless guy begging on Lambton Quay. It’s about giving a hug to the street kids I hang out with on Friday nights, and taking them out because they’re special, just because. It’s about challenging society to come up with something better for women in crisis pregnancy, and refusing to think I’m something less (than a man) because my reproductive systems are designed to support new life.
I believe abortion is wrong, but rather than fighting for a society where abortion is illegal, I dream of and strive for a society where abortion is unnecessary.We need better access to alternatives, not easier access to abortion. Places where young mothers are cared for and supported during pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood are few and far between.The adoption law is outdated, the process complicated—how is this a real choice?
Crisis pregnancy is never easy. Society (and the government) expects women to work, to have a career. Boyfriends “aren’t ready to be a dad”. Parents get angry. Communities shun and judge young mothers. Sometimes just being a woman isn’t easy. But abortion doesn’t make it any easier.
I call on our communities to rally together to encourage and support women through their pregnancies, to celebrate the beautiful life inside them.Women and men in society who have more money to spare: financially support women in crisis pregnancies.Young and old who have more time than money, use your skills—refurbish refuge houses, collect funds, baby clothes, do something!
Look, it’s not about the woman vs the child. Can’t we love and look after them both? Actually can’t we just love everyone? Like, just because? ▲
Mary-Anne Evers is a second-year student, studying law English literature and history. Mary-Anne is President of the club LifeChoice at Victoria University.