Ask a Pro-Life Agnostic: Anonymous
Once a month or so, the Secular Pro-Life blog features a short interview with a pro-life atheist or agnostic. (See the full series of interviews.) Although Secular Pro-Life is not exclusively for atheists and agnostics, historically, they have played a key role in the organization. As non-religious pro-lifers become more prominent in the pro-life movement, we’re excited for the opportunity to share their stories.
This month, we welcome an anonymous pro-life agnostic.
How did you arrive at the anti-abortion position?
The last straw for me was when I saw abortion survivors and realized that I could no longer deny that abortion kills a human being, because otherwise the adult and unambiguously human survivors of abortion wouldn’t be human. It simply didn’t make any sense. Then, how could I deny the right to life of people like them? I couldn’t.
How did you arrive at the agnostic position?
I simply believe that the existence of God can‘t be definitively proven or disproven, so I don’t believe in 100% accepting or denying that such an entity may exist. I respect others views however and do agree with many moral principles of the Bible however such as loyalty and being loving to others, though those principles aren’t exclusive to the Bible either.
How do you contribute to the cause of saving lives in the womb?
I‘m in the process of trying to convert my family and friends and try to explain to them why a pro-life person might think the way they do. I haven’t officially told everyone I‘m pro-life because I don’t want to alienate them, and taking a neutral and calm stance is more convincing since it lowers the emotional stakes of the conversation and makes them more likely to think about and internalize my arguments. I often talk to pro-choicers online to understand their arguments and break them down. Even if they don’t listen themselves, people on the internet who may read the conversation may have their perspective affected, since this is also what got me to look more into pro-life spaces which made me gradually more empathetic to pro-life views.
What words of wisdom do you have to share?
As a pro-LGBT and very liberal person with friends who openly identify as communist, supporting the human rights of babies in the womb does not mean you don’t support the rights of minorities outside of the womb. Pro-life leftists, liberals and LGBT people are not alone and need to be more open about their views because I genuinely think many people in leftist spaces only support abortion because it’s the dominant view and they’re afraid of alienating others, not because they’ve genuinely thought about it.
If you are interested in sharing your perspective as a pro-life atheist or agnostic, please complete this survey.
If you appreciate our work and would like to help, one of the most effective ways to do so is to become a monthly donor. You can also give a one time donation here or volunteer with us here.
