It’s January, the month of the March for Life. This year in particular is a very important one for the unborn. With the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization underway, it is very possible that Roe v. Wade could be severely weakened or overturned in the next year. Even with all of this going on, it can be so easy to distance ourselves from the problem of abortion in our world. We can keep our heads down, avoid awkward arguments and conversations, and keep on living our lives. This indifference, however, is what has led to millions of lives being lost worldwide every year. It is only when people become courageous and help those who can’t help themselves that lives are saved and the world changes. But still, come on, why should young, high school men in a well-off school care about abortion?

The first reason that we should care is because abortion is not the women’s rights issue that it is made out to be. This means that it is both a women’s and men’s issue. The arguments of “My body, my choice” are over. They are no longer reasonable or logical to make. This is not just my opinion. Science has proven that human life begins at conception. To answer if the embryo from conception is a person, you need to answer two questions: Is it living? -and- Is it human? It is living because it immediately begins development, forming the digestive system, heart, and limbs over a short time. A rock, or any other non-living thing, cannot develop or split cells or form organs. Therefore the embryo is living. It is human because from the first moment the sperm meets the egg, a new human DNA is formed, unique from the father and mother. This DNA shows the color of hair, the color of eyes, the entire blueprint for the body, from the first moment of conception. That human embryo will eventually look like you or me. What do you get with something that is living and human? A human being. The science is clear that abortion is not so much a women’s rights issue as it is a moral issue involving another human being. If this isn’t convincing enough, over 90% of biologists, including pro-choicers, pro-lifers, Democrats, Republicans, atheists, and believers, agree that it is an undeniable scientific truth that life begins at conception. Since it is a human life in the womb, abortion is the taking of a life. With people outside the womb, we consider this to be murder. It is no small issue that about 62 million people in the U.S. alone have been killed against their will because of abortion since Roe v. Wade. Since it is not the woman’s body, but an entirely new human life, we need to stand up and defend our fellow human beings. The indifference about abortion has led to these millions of deaths, it’s time we stop ignoring this and recognize it is the gravest violation of human rights in our world.

The second reason is because as Americans we believe in the God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are American citizens and have a duty to make sure that these rights are never infringed. The government’s primary purpose is to defend its citizens, no matter what stage of life they are at. If this is true, why is the government funding and helping institutions like Planned Parenthood? For liberty and the pursuit of happiness to exist, there has to be the right to life. It is a dangerous thing for the nation that is seen around the world as a beacon of freedom to allow the killing of its most vulnerable citizens. How far have we really come as a nation and world? We need to fight abortion now through prayer, protests like the March for Life, and good debate. If we do this, one day America will fully be the land of the free and home of the brave.

The last reason that we should care about the unborn is simple but true: they are children and we are men, future fathers. When we are husbands and fathers, we will have the duty to protect our sons and daughters, in and out of the womb. The father sacrifices for his family, he doesn’t sacrifice his family for himself. This is the duty of men in society, we are protectors. As the protectors in society, we need to step up for the voiceless children being killed day after day. The men of today and society as a whole need to start appreciating the beauty of human life. How have we come to a point where people support the violent killing of children? From the first moment of conception, the child in the womb is one of God’s greatest, most beautiful creations. We humans don’t get to play God and decide who lives and who dies. 

So I encourage you all to think again about your position on abortion and your role as a man in society. Whether you’re going to the March for Life this weekend or not, find ways you can start helping the Pro-Life cause. Some small ways to begin offering up small sacrifices throughout the week for the unborn: praying, especially through Our Lady’s intercession, or joining Priory’s Respect Life Club. It is so easy to be indifferent and silent. But how does this comfort help the children being killed every day? Let’s not be high school boys who sit in comfortable indifference, but men who defend life.