Elizabeth Andrew

Children in the Pro-Life Movement         

Melissa and I sat in the student dining hall between classes. She was writing a paper on abortion for a sociology class. As president of the Students for Life group, I was used to being interviewed during lunch.  
           
In between bites, Melissa asked, “What about families who bring their kids to pro-life marches and rallies?”
           
I thought for moment. In my mind’s eye I saw a picture of a family at the March for Life. The children held “Choose Life” signs as their parents walked along.
           
“What do you mean?” I asked.
           
“Do you think that it’s right for children to be involved in protests on this issue?”
           
I’d never really thought about it and to be honest, my parents were not involved in the pro-life movement at all. It was something I’d come to later in life.
           
“Yeah, I think its okay for children to be involved.” I responded.
           
We sat for a few moments eating in silence. That’s when I realized I couldn’t think of one other thing that is legal that we can’t explain to children. I brought it up as a point to ponder.
           
“What else is legal that we hesitate to tell children about?
             
Melissa sat quietly. She couldn’t come up with anything.
           
She agreed, “I never thought of it that way.”
           
“Perhaps any law that we can’t explain to a child we should really question.”
           
Melissa zeroed in on the point, “So you think children should know about abortion?”
           
“Truthfully, yes. If the Supreme Court thinks it’s a so-called ‘right’ and it supposedly empowers women, why stop and question it now? Let’s tell the children exactly what is legal.”
           
I’ve continued to think about the issue of children participating in the pro-life movement long after that lunch interview. I believe that parents are a child’s first line of education. Parents have the right to decide when and to what extent children are exposed to different things that occur in today’s world, including abortion. If parents don’t want to tell their children about abortion because they believe it’s not age appropriate, that is their right. On the other hand, parents who bring their children to the March for Life and other rallies also have the right to expose their children to what is legal in our country.
           
Let’s consider that we teach children about other topics that have been equally controversial and graphic. We are thorough in teaching that slavery was once legal in the United States. We’re quick to follow up with, “Oh! But now it’s illegal! Aren’t we a great country!? We saw that slavery was wrong so we changed it!”
             
Explaining abortion means explaining something that is currently legal. We feel the tug in our heart to follow up the conversation by telling our children what we’re doing to make the situation better. For parents who are not doing anything about it, surely this could be a challenge. When asked with wide expectant eyes, “Mom, what are we doing to help?” let’s make sure we have a good answer.

Elizabeth Andrew founded the University of New Hampshire's Students for Life group, which has gone on to receive the Cardinal John O'Connor Evangelium Vitae Award. After college, Elizabeth walked the length of California with the American Life League project, Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church. The following summer she walked the east coast with the Missionaries of the Eucharist, which is a group that promotes Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. She lives and writes from New York. Visit Elizabeth Andrew's website at www.ElizabethAndrew.org

 

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