Pro-choicers may decry such a claim that pro-life men have a more powerful kind of respect for women than pro-choice men. This is especially likely for those who see pro-lifers as trying to control women’s bodies. But being pro-life is a lot more than that.
We have heard plenty about whether men should have an opinion when it comes to abortion, even just recently. It is worth noting a man contributes half his DNA in creating a child. It is also not his fault that he is a man and thus biologically different from a woman when it comes to their reproductive organs.
Perhaps most important of all though, men can and should be able to stand up and protect innocent human life. It is also a matter of responsibility rather than control for a man to be pro-life.
A pro-life man respects the female sexual partner(s) in his life because he respects all life. He fulfills his ultimate duty when he protects those in his care. This includes protecting the unborn child from abortion, yes, but also the mother from undergoing such a procedure, which at the very least is permanent and oftentimes damaging.
A man who “supports” a pregnant woman by supporting abortion lacks respect. He lacks respect for the child he helped create, his child. He may also lack respect for himself. Men may feel they have no voice because they are not the ones carrying their child in their womb for 9 months. We already see this from the law for a man who wishes to protect his child, even if he is the a woman’s husband.
Worse is that that the pro-choice man may lack respect for the woman. He is pro-my choice, then. When a baby is deemed inconvenient or unwanted by him, a man may decide on the abortion, through pressure. A fact sheet from Unchoice.com states 64 percent of abortions involve a woman feeling pressure from others. “Husband or boyfriend persuaded me” is listed towards the top for
“[r]easons women give for having abortions.”
A pro-life man is likely going to stand by and support the woman he gets pregnant. It follows that when you respect the life of the most vulnerable and defenseless, you respect the person carrying that life.
There is also responsibility when it comes to the creation of life. A pro-life man may abstain from sex until he is married. If he does not, he knows to be mindful with his sexual activity. This involves not just birth control, but more importantly the realization that whenever sex is had, there is a chance of conceiving a baby. He recognizes this and the couple can be secure in choosing life whatever happens.
A man who is pro-choice may have sex with a woman and worry about pregnancy later on, at which point an abortion may be that “fix.” He doesn’t see a woman’s body in a respectful way, but rather as a means for his pleasure. After the abortion, the man can move on and keep having sex, usually with the next girl, as statistics with couples who have had abortions show.
These men who may claim to speak against pro-life laws in favor of fellow men, have a bottom life of protecting their own sex lives. We saw this with the “Bro Choice” perspective with HB2 in Texas.
It is hardly anything worth applauding when a man goes with a woman for her abortion, even if he pays for it. If it’s “respect,” it’s certainly not the kind that lasts very long. And some men don’t even do that much.
A pro-life man regards a woman’s body in a different way in that he sees it for its life affirming qualities. That is so much more in depth. The woman he has sex sex with can know that he respects her body and acknowledges her precious fertility.
Overall, a man who is pro-life sees sex differently. He may have sex for reasons other than procreation, but still realizes conceiving a child is the ultimate outcome of many sexual encounters, and its beauty, even if not planned. The sex is so much more meaningful and fulfilling then. It is not just about the man and his pleasure or the woman and hers, but the connection in the responsibility of the creation of another human being.
I have seen the difference in my own experiences. Certainly there are exceptions, on both sides. But, a man who is pro-choice and fits the above qualities is good enough to be pro-life. A man who claims to be pro-life but does not stand by and support women in their pregnancies is not as pro-life as he thinks he is.
I have seen beauty in pro-life relationships. I hope for a marriage like this someday. I know my husband will have flaws but at least he will respect me and my body and my children. Should we have a daughter facing an unplanned pregnancy, she will never have to worry about her parents pushing abortion.
I know that I love myself enough because I want to end up with a pro-life man. I want that for all women. You should too. And the men reading this should be that kind of a man.
