A Call to Breaking the Norm
The reason I oppose abortion is the same reason why I oppose the death penalty, euthanasia, terrorism, suicide, and other premature and unnatural interferences with the natural life progression of humans. Many in the political sphere boil down pro-life values to abortion, however, it is my firm belief that most Georgetown students are pro-life as the entire ethos is much more than that. This is why I am stoked to join a pro-life campus community which is expanding every year, with a student body that spans various majors, class years, genders, races, religions, geographical areas, and so much more, as the pro-life movement’s various tenets come to gain prominence.
It is of course no secret that the main goals of RTL concern the preservation of life in the womb, and after the womb, as evidenced by the regular attendance of busloads of Hoyas who attend the annual March for Life (some also attend the March for our Lives too!) and the regular monthly diaper drives we hold, in which we dedicate a large part of our Saturday to helping mothers in need by collecting early child care supplies. It is necessary to dispel the myth that pro-lifers leave innocents to fend off for themselves in a Social Darwinist fashion. This is a misconception that I hope to dispel, and I ask of my fellow pro-lifers who do find authority in the books of Moses to remember that, because life is invaluable, “Thou shall not stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor,” commands us to support life at all stages of natural life.
Other experiences which have formed my pro-life ethic include spending my weekends carting off to the Georgetown Ministry Center the leftovers of the Jewish community dinner unopened trays of fresh food for homeless residents I do not personally know, along with volunteering for Jewish organizations that support special needs young adults, who I also do not personally know. Many people may be pro-life for the standard picture with a sign we see every so often, forgetting that it is a genuine concern for all of life which should guide us. The 12th century philosopher, Maimonides, describes this concern as a process where a person should help even when they don’t know who they are helping, because it instills altruism, and similarly the helper should refrain from boasting about who specifically they are helping, because this builds humility and dignifies the receiver.
Thus, it is super important to find niche ways in which you’re pro-life. It’s okay to craft a non-conforming, unorthodox pro-life view of the world which preserves, promotes, and protects life without distinction.
Reggie G. (COL ‘21) from New York serves as the Tabling Chair
