Ask us anything about abortion.

A new human life begins at fertilization. 

When a sperm fertilizes an egg, a new, genetically distinct human organism called a zygote begins to exist.

This new organism is alive, is biologically human, and has their own unique DNA.

It just makes sense— if someone is growing, they’re alive. If someone has two human parents, they’re human. The scientific reality of when human life begins is not controversial, it is an established fact.

The real debate over abortion, then, is not primarily about when human life begins, it is about which human beings are worthy of protection from violence.

The pro-life position is the only position which recognizes the value of every human being at every stage of their development.

Being human is enough. Human rights do not depend on a person’s size, level of development, location, or degree of dependency. Every human being is valuable from the moment they come into existence. ‍

To be pro-life means to be against the intentional and direct killing of unborn children. It also means we act boldly and sacrificially to save as many lives as possible, given our reality.

‍Like a firefighter entering a burning building, pro-life advocates save who we can, but sometimes we can’t save everyone.  

The same is true of doctors. The job of any medical professional is to care for all of their patients, including both mother and baby.

Sometimes a tragic medical emergency (such as an ectopic pregnancy) requires that a doctor must act to save a pregnant mother in such a way that causes the unintended but foreseen death of the child. In this situation, it is impossible to save the child, so the doctor saves the one person they can save. Intent is key. In the treatment for an ectopic pregnancy, success equals saving the mother. In an elective abortion, “success” equals a dead child.   

We will always support saving every life possible.

Sexual assault is one of the most horrific crimes possible. A woman who becomes pregnant from an assault has been violated in a uniquely unjust way. There is no way to undo the grave injustice that has been done to her.

Our society frequently fails to protect women from sexual assault and to give them the support they need if they become victims. Women who have been victimized by sexual abusers deserve justice, protection, and healing.

One of the reasons that sexual assault is so grievous is because it constitutes a violent attack against another person’s body.

Abortion is also a violent attack against a person’s body.

An unborn child is an innocent human being who had no control over the circumstances of their conception. Punishing that child with death does not undo the violence committed against their mother.

Lianna Rebolledo understands this in a deeply personal way. She was kidnapped and sexually assaulted at just 12 years old and became pregnant as a result. Reflecting on the pressure she received to abort, she asked:

“If the abortion is not going to undo the [assault], why would you want me to have an abortion?”

Rebolledo chose life for her daughter. She later described what happened when she first saw her baby: “She became the light that I needed at the end of the tunnel… She reminded me that love is stronger than any violence.”

Women who experience sexual assault deserve every kind of support possible. We should be willing to surround them with medical care, trauma counseling, financial and practical support, and pursue justice against the perpetrator. The one thing we should not be willing to do, is inflict another act of violence against an innocent child.

True justice for victims of sexual assault cannot include abortion because abortion is simply violence redistributed.

The right question isn’t whether bodily autonomy is important (it is), but what the limits of it are. You have the right to swing your arm however you want (even if you look crazy doing it!) but once your arm meets another person’s body, you no longer have a right to swing your arm.

Your right to bodily autonomy does not overrule an unborn child’s right to exist free from violence.

This objection is based on the assumptions that abortion is inevitable and that it can be done safely. Both assumptions are wrong.

Whether it is done legally or illegally, abortion is never safe. Not for the child and not for the mother.

Abortion is not inevitable. A culture that recognizes the value of every human life and supports every pregnant mother is possible. We should accept nothing less.

The broad witness of the pro-life movement is astounding in its commitment to caring for mothers and children before and after birth.

There are approximately 3,000 pregnancy resource centers in the U.S., and most are run by pro-life people committed to saving children from abortion and providing material, emotional, and relational support to their mothers. PRCs offer parenting classes, help with transportation, diapers and other baby items, and many provide other kinds of financial assistance such as paying rent for moms during and after pregnancy.

Many Protect Life Michigan staff and students have been blessed with the opportunity to walk alongside moms facing challenging pregnancies and offer encouragement, support, and practical assistance.

‍If you are unexpectedly pregnant and in need of support in Michigan, visit projectrosie.com to learn more about the resources and help available to you.

Nope! The pro-life position is simple:

1. It is wrong to intentionally and directly kill an innocent human being
2. Abortion does this
3. Therefore, abortion is wrong

Our stance is based on a commitment to equality and human rights. Both women and men have an equal responsibility to treat others without violence, and to care for any children they create.

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We use real images of children who were killed by abortion because the public deserves to know the truth about abortion and the victims of abortion deserve to have their lives witnessed.

No story from history illustrates the power of images more than the story of Emmett Till. Emmett was a 14-year-old black boy who was brutally killed in 1955 Mississippi. His alleged crime? Whistling at a white woman. 

When Emmett’s body was discovered, the local Sheriff, looking to avoid bad press, ordered, “get that body in the ground immediately.” Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till, ensured that he did not get his way.

Mamie insisted on holding an open-casket funeral and placing the image of Emmett’s broken body in the papers. She wanted the world to see what had been done to her son. She wrote, “They would not be able to visualize what had happened unless they were allowed to see the results of what had happened.” Mamie Till succeeded in sparking national outrage. The country would never be the same.

Like Emmett Till, unborn children are victims of a violent injustice which is largely accepted in our culture. They deserve to be seen.

‍Learn more about why we use victim imagery and read our study.

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