Catholics, Just Say You’re Anti-Abortion

In recent months, I have been exploring different aspects of who I am and what I stand for. And in that exploration, I started shyly making my way back into my roots in the Catholic faith. Once a Catholic, always a Catholic, right?

It was actually the death of George Floyd that brought me back to the faith. I was seeking answers. I wanted to connect with my church for solace, and really just be surrounded by people of “my faith” who could uplift and love on one another. But that didn’t happen at all and that alone reminded me why I left the church in the first place. Instead of solace, I was shunned from different social groups, disregarded by the pastor of my home church, and ultimately was left feeling worse off than before.

There is something to be said for how you treat people, especially when they are in need… It is in those most vulnerable moments that people don’t realize that they have changed the course of someone’s life forever.

And that’s where I am today. I allowed myself to be vulnerable and now my life course has been forever changed, and I unable to stay silent. I say unable because I am physically and internally hurting and the only way to absolve myself of this pain is to purge and by purge, I mean write.

As an adult I have been exposed to the hypocrisy of members of the Catholic faith. This was completely unexpected, because as Catholics, we are called to uphold the life and dignity of our fellow humans. One would think that during these crucial times we are in with the civil rights movement or The Rona pandemic or the unemployment crisis or the cry to end human trafficking… that we would find ourselves being more compassionate. But that hasn’t happened. Far from it.

These are the times when Catholics are obligated to

“to speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. To speak out, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31: 8-9).

When I was a child, I had the luxury of ignorance; I was able to look the other way, shielding myself from people who used their religion as a weapon against others. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury anymore and that’s why the hurt runs deeper.

And over the years, the weaponizing and hypocrisy has only heightened and gotten bolder. Folks are being loud about their hatred for the “other”, unashamed of their racism, misogyny, and acceptance of the status quo. Needless to say, I have been working through my difficulties with some tenets of the Catholic faith and those who “practice”.

One of the biggest challenges I’m having lately is the pro-life movement and what it truly means. To be frank, I feel like I’m looking at it the wrong way since every time I see someone mentioning pro-life, it is pertaining strictly to abortion. But when I think of being pro-life, I see it as upholding the sanctity and protection of life from conception to natural death. However, I don’t believe that those who are “pro-life” are actually pro-life. And I say that because there are quite a few things that happen in one’s life beginning from conception to natural death that don't get the same attention as abortion.

Here are just a few:

• Poverty

• Racism

• Homophobia

• War

• Human trafficking

• Sexual assault

• Homelessness

• World hunger

• Forced family separation

As you can see, the list is extensive. This makes me wonder why people shout “well what their higher rate of abortion?!” when I mention Black Lives Matter or “I don’t vote for baby killers” when discussing the upcoming presidential election. It baffles me when that happens, each and every time… It’s a new feeling of wonder when these are the counter arguments, because WHY?! Are you saying a Black life can’t matter because they may choose to get an abo- woosah…

Let me take a deep breath before I get myself upset.

Are Catholics truly pro-life or are they just anti-abortion?

From my understanding and through my research and conversations with fellow Catholics, I see pro-life advocates actually having little to no regard for marginalized groups outside of when they are in the womb. Albeit the beginning of precious human life, pregnancy is not the only time that humans should be considered, respected, and protected. These same efforts should be maintained throughout the entirety of one’s life.

But, here’s the caveat. I have yet to see a pro-life movement to end world hunger, end racism, or even to mandate paid family leave and I just wonder where that disconnect is stemming from. If you are sincere in your desire to care for humans in the womb, you must maintain that same energy when parents don’t have the opportunity to take time off from work to care for their newborn. You must maintain that same energy when there are the many initial hospital visits for that newborn and the ridiculous costs of health care are unaffordable. You must maintain that same energy when parents don’t have adequate educational options for their child so they don’t have proper resources to prepare them for life. You must maintain that same energy when parents can’t get out of poverty to provide a better situation for that child.

You MUST maintain that same energy. You can’t proclaim yourself to be pro-life if you don’t keep that same energy.

I don’t’ have the desire or capacity right now to try to figure out why some Catholics try to shield their ugliness with the faith but I want it to stop. Yes, the Catholic Church opposes all forms of abortion, but more importantly the Catholic Church is big on solidarity and valuing and respecting our fellow humans. You cannot pick and choose who you decide to care for. It is or duty to care for all, especially the poor and the needy.

As Catholics, we must hold ourselves to the standard of loving one another, being open to learning and evolving, and listening to those who are different from you, all in the hope for bettering the world we all live in.

Love,

Autumn