(Image by Pexels from Pixabay)

One of the adjectives often used to describe pro-life activists, politicians and commentators is the word “brave”. People who are willing to put themselves out there, to declare their pro-life leanings, and to make the case for the unborn, particularly, in a public forum, are rightly described as brave by other pro-lifers. In fact, many of us who are a bit more vocal about our pro-life leanings have found that others will privately let us know that they agree with our stance, but are too afraid to admit this publicly.

This got me thinking: why exactly does publicly wearing the pro-life message require bravery? I think there are two broad reasons. The first is that pro-life people can face personal attack, particularly online, for their pro-life beliefs. It is unfortunately the case that pro-life people can face open hostility or even verbal abuse, and women in particular can fall victim to this kind of behaviour. The second reason for bravery is that the pro-life message is just not generally accepted right now. Even amongst colleagues, friends and family who would not act unkindly or unjustly towards us, admitting that we are pro-life can make others look at us in a whole new light. They may make assumptions about us: that we are ignorant of the great burdens that pregnancy and parenting can place on people, or that we are heartless towards the plight of those in those heartbreaking situations, or that we have backwards views on the role of women in today’s society.

I think there is, unfortunately, not much we can do about the first need for bravery. As long as the world has bad actors who are willing to harass and abuse anyone who expresses pro-life views, pro-lifers have to be silent or be brave: there is no secret third option. It’s not easy to speak up when you know or suspect you’ll be ill-treated, and you have to be brave to do so. Anyone who does so deserves respect and admiration (though for what it’s worth, most of the scariest forms of abuse are in your head).

When it comes to the second reason for bravery, however, I think there is something we can do here. Specifically, those of us who have a well-thought-out position on abortion, and who have thoughtful, cogent and compassionate arguments for their position, have nothing to fear when discussing abortion amongst people of good faith, such as our true friends and family.

This is a bold claim: can I really stand by it? I believe I can. Remember that the second reason for bravery arises from a fear that people who hear we are pro-life will think we are cruel, or ignorant, or misogynistic. In other words, they arise from how people may think of us – not from what people may do to us. However, if we can explain, in a skilled manner, that our pro-life views actually come from applying good principles that most pro-choice people already agree with in a consistent manner, if we can show that we have considered the hard cases and are aware of the uncomfortable realities of the pro-life position, if we acknowledge the role of women in the abortion debate in a full and frank manner, then we can counter the assumptions people make about us. They may still disagree with your pro-life views, but they won’t have any reason to think badly of you for holding these views: in fact, they may respect you for giving the issue so much thought. This has been my experience.

How do you manage to equip yourself so that you can remove this second “need” for bravery? By doing what Ben recommended when he blogged about what to do if you’re pro-life and afraid: get informed! We have lots of posts with the best pro-life arguments. You can familiarise yourself with them via our blog. You can also attend a workshop to learn these arguments in person, and to practise using them in a friendly setting. And you can always contact us if you have questions or if there’s something else holding you back from being a bit more open about your pro-life views.

Pro-life people will still need to be brave. But with a little more information and practice, we should have a lot less to fear.

Muireann