If you’re not following us on Facebook (and if you’re not, you totally should be!) you may have missed the link to this friendly news coverage and its mainstream media shout out to Pro-Life Humanists and to secular pro-lifers in general. The video is well worth your time, I assure you! Watch as Sun News journalist Faith Goldy takes a humorous bite out of the pro-choice protesters who’d gathered to oppose the March, and hear her share her personal thoughts, as someone who used to be pro-choice:
Click to view video of Sun New Media coverage of March for Life Pro-choice Protesters; Faith Goldy Reporting
Notwithstanding the overt religiosity of the March for Life (which I’ve previously written about) Pro-Life Humanists had a great time at the 2014 March for Life, which took place in May. We met a surprising number of kids from Catholic schools who admitted they were secretly atheist, despite their Catholic school attendance – and that many of their peers were atheist as well. We were able to assure them that as they opt to come out as atheists in the future, they can still be pro-life, and that we’ll be there to welcome them as they leave the fold.
Overall, the theists at the March responded courteously to our atheist presence, with a few people even making generous donations toward our pro-life outreaches to the atheist community. Many others, on the other hand, were far more skeptical and made no secret of their disgust or disappointment with our atheism. Upon reading our fundraising handout, one woman protested: “But why do you have to bring your non-belief into this? Why can’t you just be pro-life without emphasizing that you don’t believe in God?” I explained to her that while it would be nice to just be able to talk about the preborn and the social issues that play into abortion, that we had to emphasize non-belief precisely because pro-life has been intermingled with religious belief for so long! By establishing ourselves as a pro-life group by atheists for atheists, we are allowing the debate to clearly be about abortion rather than about religion. We’re not at pro-life events to attack the faith of our religious pro-life allies, but neither do we wish to humour and entertain those beliefs when the emphasis ought to be on the preborn.
It’s unfortunate that many pro-lifers do not seem able to separate religion from pro-life action. “How about instead of bringing pro-life arguments to atheists, I talk to you about why you shouldn’t be an atheist?” one man offered. When I smiled and politely declined the offer, the man shrugged, crumpled up our flyer and tossed it into the trashcan – right before my eyes! I guess for some people there’s no real point in saving atheist babies from immediate abortion if they can’t save atheist parents’ souls from future hell. Forget about bringing pro-life arguments to atheists, I guess. Let atheists become theists and only then will they be welcome as pro-life activists. 😛
But we take hope. People are leaving religion and embracing atheism in droves – and as they start to ask questions, Pro-Life Humanists will be there to help our pro-life peers find hope and life outside the church. And once they’re out, we’ll still be there to ensure that they don’t leave behind the Religious Koolaid only to swallow the Pro-Choice Koolaid. Nearly 1 in 5 non religious individuals identifies as pro-life, and with our efforts, those numbers will only continue to grow!
Pro-Life Humanists at March for Life 2014
” Upon reading our fundraising handout, one woman protested: “But why do you have to bring your non-belief into this? Why can’t you just be pro-life without emphasizing that you don’t believe in God?” I explained to her that while it would be nice to just be able to talk about the preborn and the social issues that play into abortion, that we had to emphasize non-belief precisely because pro-life has been intermingled with religious belief for so long! By establishing ourselves as a pro-life group by atheists for atheists, we are allowing the debate to clearly be about abortion rather than about religion. We’re not at pro-life events to attack the faith of our religious pro-life allies, but neither do we wish to humour and entertain those beliefs when the emphasis ought to be on the preborn.”
The woman asked a good question and you gave a good response. I think that by separating the abortion issue from religion, we are doing everyone a favor. It serves to unite us on the only issue we can agree on.
I think that sometimes the pro-choice side tries to mock a belief in God to discredit the pro-lifers because they falsely think they ALL believe in God. When atheists show up, they can’t use that same trick.
Exactly. Which is why i love that pro-life atheists are getting noticed. We’re breaking the comfortable status-quo that many have so-long held, and helpiong to reshape both the pro-life community and the atheist community. Pro-life atheists are swimming against the flow in two different seas and turning the tide in both! 🙂
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