Pro-Life: Being Pro-Baby and Pro-Mother

Both a baby's life and a mother's life are inherently valuable. Balancing and maintaining the two is a must.

Pixexid, Ralph.

Abortion remains a contentious issue in American politics. One can easily argue the intensity only increased since the Dobbs decision on June 24, 2022. That decision immediately impacted the midterm elections. Republicans, led by Donald J. Trump, are still disappointed by the 2022 election results. The expected "red wave" did not materialize. One year later, during off-year elections, more disappointments came. Striking down Roe and Casey did not produce a pro-life America. In hindsight, it may never grow to be considered a pro-life catalyst. But despite claims from Trump and too many of his sycophants, Dobbs is good. 

Now, it is the beginning of another presidential election year. Unless something major and frankly, unanticipated happens, Americans will witness a repeat of the 2020 election. However, there is one new factor at play: this will be the first presidential election since the Supreme Court decided Dobbs. Democrats may continue their election streak of performing better than expected. They also may not. Republicans are licking some recent electoral wounds, perhaps too reticent to place much hope in Donald Trump's third attempt at winning the presidency. Democrats are angry at the new reality around the country when it comes to reproductive health. Republicans, in large part, still praise the 45th president for the victory by way of his appointing justices who would vote a certain way. 

Republicans are on the "right side of history" when it comes to abortion. But it's too easy to accept the good that has been done and continue on autopilot, all the while reacting to any future election disappointments as solely a Democratic Party problem. Republicans have much room for improvement when it comes to abortion. On a recent episode of the Fox News show Outnumbered, former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany argued just that. 

McEnany is a skilled and effective communicator who delivered a polished performance each time she stepped behind the podium in the Trump White House. She did so while parroting the administration's talking points, however off-base and downright false they may have been. But as a political commentator, her personal convictions sometimes deserve a second look. While reacting to Vice President Kamala Harris' appearance on The View, where she discussed the abortion issue at length, The Daily Beast reported the following from McEnany: 

“[McEnany has] ‘implored’ the Republican Party as ‘someone who is pro-life’ herself to be more compassionate on the issue of abortion, which has led to Democratic victories across the nation, she called on the GOP to be ‘more pro-mother’ instead of just focusing on unborn babies. The ex-Trump flack then issued a warning to conservatives.

“‘We, as a party, must do that because what Kamala is doing, right or wrong, is very powerful among young women,’ McEnany concluded.”

I am a mother of two, a conservative, and someone who is staunchly, unabashedly pro-life. And Kayleigh McEnany is spot-on. 

The Dobbs decision, while a monumental move to right a legal and moral wrong, is not the end. Not by a long shot. Treating it as some sort of last word on the subject of abortion is a myopic attitude. Then again, the Republican Party excels in short-sightedness. Viewing Dobbs as the final page on abortion is both electorally and culturally reckless. McEnany is correct in saying Vice President Kamala Harris resonates with women in the United States. This is true regardless of the content of her message. The Democrats' message is simple: Republicans don't care about women. If the GOP wishes to win back the female vote and undergird support for pro-life legislation, the party will work just as hard on proving women are just as valuable as the unborn within their wombs. The GOP fails in this area. 

Are conservatives, Republicans, and other pro-life voters able to say the pro-life cause is as pro-mother as it is pro-baby? I don't believe so. A large part of this is due to the narrative from the left, which paints every pro-life American in the worst possible light. Some of it is due to the messaging and attitudes that exist on the right. The urge to protect the defenseless unborn child in the womb is a real and honorable one. The Declaration of Independence supports the pro-life mission with the powerful, well-known words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The right to life is not contingent on circumstances of conception. The right to life exists even when the new life is unwanted or unexpected. In the same way, a mother's right to life is just as precious, regardless of her attitude or personal choices. Both a baby's life and a mother's life are inherently valuable. Balancing and maintaining the two is a must. 

Being pro-mother and pro-baby is not only possible, it's required. To love them both is the only pro-life approach worth pursuing. Dobbs isn't a slap in the face to women, no matter their political leanings. It's not a weapon to wield against leftists. If anything, that will only make them despise the unborn. 

To support both women and babies, there needs to be an active element of compassion within the pro-life community. We don't win anything if we make a woman feel bad about feeling bad that she's pregnant. It's only through highlighting her worth alongside the gift of her child that we make progress. We don't turn America into a pro-life country by treating women who are unsure about continuing their pregnancies as less than the lives inside their burgeoning bellies. In addition, speaking of women as deserving of the death penalty (which some on the right do) if they go ahead with an abortion is wrong. If anything, abortionists should be subject to the worst punishment for taking a life. Boyfriends, families, and a predatory industry pressure far too many women into choosing abortion. 

A long forty-nine years passed between the time Roe v. Wade was decided and when Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization was handed down. If it took that long to bring a legal change, how long will it take to bring about a true cultural shift? It won't be overnight. Laws don't change hearts. 

Since there is much work to be done to transform the United States into a place that largely values the unborn, the very least pro-life Americans can do is shift where needed. Since we've won a huge legal victory, it only makes sense that we continue to support legislation that honors life while simultaneously promoting a pro-mother mindset as well, regardless of election outcomes.

Kimberly Ross is a widely published freelance opinion writer whose bylines include the Washington Examiner, The Bulwark, The Federalist, and Real Clear Politics. @SouthernKeeks