Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

An activist holds a sign using the phrase “pro-life” outside the United States Supreme Court.

Activists first introduced the phrase “pro-life” to American society in 1973. In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, the landmark court case that legalized abortion in all 50 states, anti-abortion movements used the phrase to highlight their push for fetal protection.

The phrase is now used so prolifically, it has become synonymous with anti-abortion movements. Many who support the restriction of abortion rights in the US refer to themselves as “pro-lifers.” 

“People who oppose abortion often call themselves pro-life. However, the only life many of them are concerned with is the life of the fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus,” wrote abortion-access advocacy group Planned Parenthood, in a 2019 “Ask the Experts” column.

There is little to no regard for the life of those with uteruses. By focusing on fetal protection, “pro-life” movements minimize the role mothers play in abortion debates. This disconnection of a mother’s role is anti-feminist. I think it is appalling that members of our country hold so little regard for female autonomy.

And I believe everyone should have the right to an abortion. People with uteruses are full people, worthy of equal respect and protection under the law. There is no question. There is no nuance. It is simply unacceptable that our country refuses to treat women as equal to men, and as full citizens worthy of the rights to their being.

But the even bigger outrage is the hypocrisy I see in “pro-lifers’ ” political opinions.

Because the phrase “pro-life” is used mostly in conservative circles – circles where, historically, access to guns has been a high political priority. In a country with a record-setting degree of gun violence, calling oneself “pro-life” while supporting expanded access to guns is inherently hypocritical.

You can not be pro-gun and “pro-life.” It is a contradiction in terms. 

In the US, examples of this ideological contradiction abound. A dramatic one is Texas.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, in 2021, Senate Bill 8 was signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. This law made it illegal to get an abortion after six weeks of gestation – even in cases of rape or incest.

Then, on August 25th, 2022, House Bill 128 took effect. This law criminalizes the provision of abortions at all stages of pregnancy. Together, the two laws make it illegal to receive an abortion – except in rare cases when the health of the mother is gravely impacted. 

Meanwhile, gun laws in Texas are very loose. In May 2022, in Uvalde, TX, 19 students and two teachers were killed in a shooting involving legally purchased weapons. According to the Washington Post, Texans have been able to buy this class of weapons for the past 60 years. 

Uvalde is one of four mass shootings in Texas with 10 or more fatalities since 2017. In recent years, the state has loosened gun restrictions, including the authorization for residents to carry handguns without licensing or training. 

The state has also passed several “school safety” measures, such as increasing law enforcement and arming school personnel. Because the best way to put out a fire is by pouring more gasoline into the flames? Such “school safety” methods proved unsuccessful in Uvalde. 

The bottom line is that Texas allows for prolific gun access, enabling mass killings like the one in Uvalde. This same state claims, under law, to be deeply “pro-life.” 

“Pro-lifers” spend so much time concerned with the sanctity of life before birth. Guns are designed as deadly weapons, . To me, it is incomprehensible that a person could be both “pro-life” and pro-gun.

Being “pro-life” to undermine female autonomy is not being truly pro-life. Refusing to pass stricter gun laws when children are dying at gunpoint is not truly pro-life.

We live in a pluralistic society, where we value diversity of opinion. But we cannot live in a society where ideological hypocrisy is perpetuated.

Especially when it’s a matter of life and death.