A voice for the voiceless is often a tag line used by pro-life advocates who value the sanctity of life and believe all life begins at conception. A baby in the womb is unable to advocate for themselves and when their first line of defense (their own parents) fail them then it is up to others to protect them and their right to life.

However, some abortion supporters are flipping this idea upside down claiming they are also voices for preborn children.

Anti-natialism

Anti-natialism is the belief humans should abstain from procreation (not sex) because it is morally wrong. If a woman were to become pregnant then an abortion should follow. The followers of this belief often say they do not condone violence yet are wildly pro-choice. You cannot be against violence yet advocate killing of innocent babies, it’s contradicting to say the least. Many often state they wish they were never born and if less humans existed on earth, there would be less problems. They hold the belief that life, animals and humans, who already occupy the earth should be taken care of instead procreating to create new life.

Holding on to the false narrative that the world is overpopulated and more people equates to more problems is what is fueling their gross misinterpretation of the balance of life on earth.

Do terrible people exist in this world? Yes but good people far outweigh the bad. And even people that do terrible things are redeemable.

There’s also suffering and loss in this world and sometimes it feels as if the times we live in are the worst. Yet, it’s not. There’s always been suffering and loss throughout the entire existence of humanity. Overcoming the bad is what fuels goodness in the world. Their perspective is the world is bad, tainted, and irredeemable. Which anyone with a basic understanding of life knows that life is not perfect and is often unpredictable but that doesn’t mean it is bad. Yes, there is suffering in the world but this should not be the reason to stop having children. This should be the reason to have more children.

Raise your children to value life. Raise them to be good and generous people. Negativity, sorrow, and hatefulness can spread like wildfire under the right conditions yet kindness, generosity, and goodness are much more inviting spreading easier which overcomes the terribleness.

If you want an excellent rebuttal of overpopulation theory and why anti-natialism is not only wrong but rooted in evil listen to Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcast episode on why the earth needs more babies not fewer.

A claim that abortion brought her closer to God

Kassi Underwood had an abortion at age 19. She claims that through her abortion journey which was initially filled with deep depression that she tried to curb by eating a diet high in omega 3s and meditation eventually led to enlightenment which in turn deepened her relationship with God. Her story, social media posts, and book are filled with confusing writing that is of constant contradiction.

She pulled herself out of depression after realizing and she refers to her aborted child as a “spirit baby” does not blame her for having an abortion. She wasn’t entirely sure if her spirit baby was giving her compassion or if she was simply giving herself compassion. Either way, we will not know for sure because her baby was never given the chance to speak.

Her relationship with God deepened after her abortion because she started to love herself. While scrolling through her Instagram feed you’ll find her feed is sprinkled with bits of Christianity yet she states she is not a Christian while profanities and confusion are also woven within. One peculiar post was a quote from the singer Cardi B “I wish I could give God a hug bro, so I’m just going to hug myself and pretend I’m hugging God.” Yes, we are image bearers of Him but the self-love movement dips into dangerous territory quickly turning to self-worship. Read more about self-love or selfishness.  She’s stating she’s grown closer to God yet she’s defining God to fit her terms not letting Him define her. A reason why she believes God is okay with abortion is because Jesus never mentioned abortion during his ministry. This has been repeatedly debunked by Biblical scholars that He is pro-choice. He values all life. Taking specific Bible verses or passages out of context to prove He supports abortion is ridiculous. Jesus condemned sexual immortality and murder of the innocent which clearly fits into being opposed to abortion. Read Is God pro-life or pro-choice?

Small bits of truth amongst the confusion

During an interview she stated that she does not consider herself pro-life or pro-choice. She thinks the war regarding abortion is an embarrassment. Instead people should honor others abortion journeys. She claims the pro-life movement is focused on saving babies and condemning those who choose abortion while the pro-choice movement focuses on keeping abortion accessible and not so much helping women with the after effects.

However her insight to why so many women are vehemently pro-choice from her own personal experience is accurate. After her abortion she didn’t feel supported. Unfortunately, she felt condemned by the pro-life movement. The pro-choice movement wasn’t much better. She already had her abortion and although she was vocal about it, she was silent about the agony she experienced from the mental trauma she had faced. Admitting that she regretted her abortion would go against the pro-choice narrative. Instead, she looked to feel empowered so she defended pro-choice talking points to make her feel supported and accepted. Silencing someone’s complete journey to fit a certain narrative is wrong. I don’t believe the pro-life  movement is dishonest but we will more often broadcast positive stories over ones that involve struggle. Being completely transparent with mothers facing unplanned pregnancies not only establishes trust but it also leads to a higher likelihood of success. At Options United, we provide counseling and referral services. Referral services to pregnancy clinics to receive medical care, counseling for parenting related reasons or abortion grief, adoption referrals, referrals to pregnancy resource centers for parental support and other needs. There are many, many organizations that offer help to mothers facing unplanned pregnancies in creative and various ways.

Clumps of cells?

After reading the stories of those who were influenced by anti-natialism and the story of Kassi Underwood it is apparent that these women did not think they were pregnant with a clump of cells. I truly believe there are naive women who believe their baby is not a person for at least a certain amount of time while in the womb. However, this is the minority of women having abortions. A study completed in 2017, found that many women were saving their sonograms after their abortion.

“We abstracted data from 5342 charts and interviewed 23 women. Thirty-eight percent of all patients and 61% of interviewees accepted the printout. Predictors of accepting the printout included being younger, being nonwhite, having a partner who is a boyfriend or friend, and not having a support person at the visit. Interviewees reported that they accepted the printout simply because it was offered, out of curiosity and as part of confirming their abortion decision. They described various uses for the printout, including sharing with others, consulting before their abortion appointment, retaining as a keepsake and nothing at all.” Read the full study here.

These women knew their children were more than a clump of cells but they still continued with the abortion. Most of them felt unsupported yet were greeted by the abortion clinic with open arms and a promise that they would deliver a solution to their problem. This is not a misinformation issue of women not knowing there is a separate person within their body. This is a heart issue. They had made their decision before stepping into the clinic and the support they felt from the staff at the abortion clinic only solidified this. There are occurrences in which women walk out of the abortion clinic with a change of heart but it is not what happens most of the time. Reaching women before the abortion industry does is our goal. It should not be this accepted to kill your child for mere convince, preconceived notions, or fear of the unknown—-yet it is.

At Options United we are helping women pause before deciding to go to the abortion clinic. It is through loving care and support that changes these mother’s hearts. Please, if you’re able will you consider making a donation? Donate here