Dehumanization

Dehumanization-defined- simply put is treating a human being as if they were not human. How often does this happen? Some may think that it is a very rare occurrence. This is WRONG, it happens all of the time, in fact it never stops happening.

I will first cover one of the most obvious ways that we dehumanize people-abortion. Simply, a lot of people know that they are killing a baby but they use terms like fetus or say that it is just a clump of cells. Because truth be told if they said that it was a baby then they would be admitting not only to the woman that have the abortions, but to themselves that they are killing a human person. How many people do you know that can live with themselves after knowingly murdering a person? My guess is none. Also if abortion mill workers said that the baby was a baby then how many less abortions would there be? How many fewer abortion mills would there be?

Another way that we dehumanize is when we judge people by what they look like. Everyone does it. We all have a tendency come up with who we think a person is by what they look like before we even know who they are. If we see someone with a fancy car or expensive clothes most of the time we place them in a group of people who think that they are too good for us or are snobby. When in reality they could be very generous people who got there clothes at a thrift store to save money or they are just borrowing a car from someone because they don't have one available to them. We also tend to place people who have messy clothes and messed up hair and dirty skin in a lower class then even ourselves when they could have just finished helping someone fix their yard or paint their house. The thing is that we don't know there story or reasoning for something yet we look at them and push them down, sometimes unknowingly, so that we can build ourselves up. We forget to think of them as humans.

The final way that I am going to mention is teen pregnancies. Think about it, here we are as pro-lifers (disclaimer-not all people do this) and when we see a pregnant teen at the mall or walking down the street we automatically think of them as a bad person for getting pregnant in the first place. But did you ever stop and think to yourself that maybe it wasn't there fault and event if it was then at least they didn't have an abortion. At least they kept the baby and did't kill it. I think that a lot of teens get abortions because they are afraid of what others will think of them for being pregnant. We should show them a little support, they are human and make mistakes just like us.

There are so many ways that we dehumanize people that I am not even going to try to cover them all. Can I make a suggestion? Why don't we all try, when we see a person, to think of them as a person and not judge them for what they look like. It is a very hard thing to do but I personally am working on it because I am pro-life and pro-lifers, who are also human, are supposed to stand up for life from conception to natural death. And that means that we respect and care for all humans whether they are in the right or in the wrong.

Birthdays

Your birthday is a day that you look forward to every year. It is a day when friends and family think of you and wish you a happy birthday, there is more or less a feeling of being special and important. Everyone has a birthday it does not seem like a rare thing. You can walk up to a random person and ask them if they have a birthday and I bet that they will look at you like you are crazy and tell you that of course they have a birthday, who doesn't? But I am here to tell you that there are a LOT of people who do NOT have birthdays or whose birthdays are forgotten, and even worse most of them are little kids! The thing that keeps little human beings from having a birthday, even there very first one, is abortion and contraception (and yes, contraception can be an abortifacient).  Some kids, who do have birthdays, have their birthdays forgotten. Some who are in abusive homes are beaten for even having a birthday. Most people look forward to their birthday and the things that they will be able to do. When you turn 13 you become a teenager, 15 (in Texas) you get your drivers permit, 16 (also in Texas) you can legally drive on your own, 18 you are an adult, 21 (in the U.S.A) you can legally drink, and so on. every year there is more freedom and (hopefully) joy because you are older. In a way I for one have taken advantage of my birthday, and I'm sure that many others have as well, How many people go to their mom and tell her thank you on your birthday? You wouldn't have one without her.  For my birthday (this Monday) I will not take advantage of it. I am so glade that I have a birthday and that my mom chose life for me even though I was born after Roe Vs. Wade. So, thank you mom! Thank you for choosing to keep me and not legally (or illegally) aborting me! I am going to ask that everyone, when you are done reading this, to go and thank your mom (and dad) for choosing life for you! Know that you are BLESSED to be here, especially if you were born after 1973. 

What if

This is a thought that came to me.

Shoes

Some of you may wonder, "what do shoes have to do with pro-life?" Well, what if someone is not looking at your face but is looking at your shoes? Then they can still see that you are pro-life. ;)

March for Life in Washington DC, essay contest

Hello all, sorry that I have not posted recently.  I have some big news! I won an essay contest and I get to go to the March for Life in Washington DC!!! every year the Youth for Life group in the Fort Worth Diocese sponsors scholarships for 10-15 teens to go to the March. I was one of the winners!  Below is the essay that I wrote.

March for Life
Essay contest
2013

In the Bible there are many stories regarding marriage.  In Biblical times, the father would hand over his daughter in marriage to whom he saw fit (1 Samuel 18:19).  It seemed as if the father was handing his daughter over in marriage as a reward (Joshua 15:16).  However marriage has changed since Adam and Eve: and even more so since the time of our great-grandparents.  It used to be that once you married to someone, you were married to them until death.  Divorce was highly frowned upon, and was very rare.  Now, 41% of first, 60% of second, and 75% of third marriages end in divorce (statistics are from: http://www.mckinleyirvin.com/blog/divorce/32-shocking-divorce-statistics/).  Not only has the length of marriage changed but also the definition.  The original definition of marriage, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is, “The state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.”  The new definition of “marriage”, also according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is, “The state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage; also known as same-sex “marriage”.”

When a married and financially stable couple announces a pregnancy, friends and family are normally eager to congratulate.  It is when the mother and father are not married and/or do not have a way to support both themselves and a new baby that friends and family can push them in the direction of abortion, and even when the couple has more than two children.  They justify the abortion by placing the parents’ needs above the child’s rights. They may not even believe that the baby is alive.   Life is an interesting thing, but what is the definition of life?  When does life begin?  “Life is the ability to grow, change, etc., that which separates plants and animals [and humans] from things like water or rocks; it is the period of the time when a person is alive.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  Human life, for a fact, begins at conception, or fertilization.  Of course not everyone understands or knows this; and their definitions of when life begins change from person to person, argument to argument to fits what they want it to.  If the parents cannot care for a baby, their definition might be that life begins when the baby can survive outside the womb. 

Because of this “definition,” the lives of many humans have been terminated and disposed of.  One of the main, popular, and obvious ways that this is done is by abortion; which put simply is the killing of a human being.  However, abortion is not the only way that babies are being killed.  Contraceptives like the Pill and Plan B are abortifacients.  An abortifacient is a drug that causes and abortion.  Contraception is often use by woman and girls who want to avoid pregnancy.  The Pill works in three ways: first it tries to prevent ovulation, though some woman have breakthrough ovulation and can conceive.  Second, the pill tries to prevent sperm from reaching the ovaries by thickening the cervical mucus.  However, it is possible for sperm to break through and fertilize the egg.  If and when this happens, the hormones in the pill change the lining of the uterus, causing it to be thin and have holes in it; thus making it hard for the baby to implant, causing a chemical abortion.  Some women use the pill for “health” reasons.  Little do they know, most of the time the contraception can cause infertility in the future as well as cause other health problems.  For example the pill has many health endangering side effects such as: cerebral hemorrhage and thrombosis, Melasma, migraine, dizziness, loss of hair, cataracts, hypertension, mental depression, Edema, weight change, rash, pre-menstrual syndrome, bone loss, cancer, nausea, vomiting, etc.  Along with the above listed side effects, the pill has a large impact on reproductive organs; a few things that it can cause are: breakthrough bleeding, change in menstrual flow, breast changes, Vaginitis, Endometriosis, and so much more (side effects found on thepillkills.org).  Almost all of these side effects are serious; some of them may even cause death to woman.  All of these effects are in addition to the abortion that may occur. 

In these ways, life is not protected and cherished as it should be.  How can we protect and cherish life if abortion and contraception are readily available just about everywhere?  The biggest and most important thing that we can do is pray; we can and should pray for the mothers, fathers, babies, and families.  We should also pray for those who act against abortion and those who perform and defend abortion, contraception, euthanasia, etc.  Another thing that we can do is to spread the truth.  In order to spread the truth we have to stay calm.  But why do we need to stay calm?  It is important to stay calm because calmness invites deeper discussion and allows the opportunity to connect with people at a personal level.  We need to see each person as an individual and listen to his/her story.  Only once we understand their point of view can we speak truth with charity and hope to change hearts.  Personal attacks or emotional outbursts serve only to put distance between hearts, whereas calm responses will gain respect and trust.  A prayerful presence will also help us to remain calm.  With prayer we can ask for wisdom, peace, and the conversion of hearts.  It is also important to remain calm in order to be a model citizen and representative of the pro-life movement.  After all, to be pro-life is to respect life at all stages, never seeking violence as it is an assault on human dignity and the very essence of the culture of death which we are trying to overcome.  All in all we can help save people of all ages and the true definition of marriage by living and speaking the truth.

I am excited to be able to update you on what it is like to go to the March!!!