I’ve said in conversation and from the pulpit that there’s more to being pro-life than opposing abortion. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. Watch this video and then continue reading below.

Why bother getting children born if we aren’t going to help them survive and thrive?

I say this because once a child is born, is it not our responsibility to try to give them a good, fair shot at life? What about foster children? Don’t they deserve to be loved and cared for? What about orphans? Shouldn’t they be adopted? What about the parents who, for any variety of reasons, aren’t able to feed or clothe their children? Shouldn’t they be fed and clothed?

Being pro-life, it turns out, is far more expansive than we may have considered. It includes helping those who are at a disadvantage due to societal structures. It includes sacrificing my standard of living in order to bring others up to anything that resembles a standard of living. It means giving voice to the disenfranchised and dismissed. As best I can tell, that’s what Jesus did.

So whether you’re Republican or Democrat or Tea Party or Anarchist or don’t know what any of those terms mean, can we not agree that loving others means coming to their aid and providing the best possible chance for gaining a foothold in this life?