2022 Pro-Life Essay Winner

Eleanor Gianna Grosvenor

Why I Am Pro-Life

What is justice? My theology teacher last year said it is, “the quality of being fair and reasonable.” So, if justice is the quality of being fair and reasonable and we as intelligent humans believe the things we do are justifiable and act thus; then are we justified to perform abortions? Is that displaying the quality of being fair and reasonable? There is estimated to be over 63 million innocent lives lost from abortion to date. These deaths equal the population of Canada, Ireland, El Salvador, Haiti, and Jamaica combined. In 1989, a reported 1,396,658 abortions took place within the United States. If someone took the people who have died from the COVID-19 virus, combined them with the victims of shark attacks and the flu; those numbers would still not equal the lives lost from abortion. The famed and feared Black Death killed an estimated 25 million. This is still much less than the millions more abortions performed. St. Pope John Paul II stated, “In this sense abortion goes beyond the responsibility of individuals and beyond the harm done to them, and takes on a distinctly social dimension. It is a most serious wound inflicted on society and its culture by the very people who ought to be society’s promoters and defenders.”

I am pro-life because I am for life. It is as simple as that. When you look at the data and look beyond the data, into your heart, it’s obvious that this monstrous act must come to an end. My parents raised me pro-life. My schools have formed me into a pro-life young person. Without these influences, would I have seen the controversial moral issue sitting right under our noses every day? Would I have made a stand as I do today against the abortion industry and all those who deem this act moral and right? I guess we’ll never know and I am thankful for that. These are the very reasons I march for life. To show all the young people that this is our movement. That this is an issue that needs our input and immediate attention. That even if you are not raised in this belief or taught this at school, you can take a stand. The courageous marches in the South for civil rights hit a peak when young school kids recognized what was wrong in their community and decided to do something about it. President Kennedy responded with a speech that included the lines, “This Nation was built on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free.” When I watched a film in school about the children’s march and this speech, I was immediately inspired and thought about the current social justice issues facing our nation. What better place to start than abortion? Can my fellow Americans take a bold stand against this issue together just like these children? There is a stand and its name is the March for Life. In 2020 and 2018, I was blessed to attend. At the march, thousands upon thousands of peaceful protestors greeted each other warmly like they had known each other their entire lives. At the youth rally, you could feel the Holy Spirit gracefully guiding these young people to stand up for what they believe in. I hope to attend the March for Life in 2022 to protest this direct violation of basic human rights happening in our country; the “land of the free, home of the brave.”