BY MARY STROKA
The purpose of real feminism is to empower women. The best ways to empower women are not by tearing men down or by propagating a belief that abortion should be available on demand, but by giving women a sense of security and the information they need about how to deal with a crisis pregnancy and embrace their womanhood.
As a recent graduate, I participate in a recently established pro-life club on a Catholic campus that has been able to take charge of the very real issues of misinformation, lack of information and fear to stand up for what you believe in when it relates to abortion. Only this year has the pro-life club been able to provide the students with information about alternatives to abortion in the student health center. Students are nervous to counter the perceived majority of students or the professor in the classroom when issues of feminism and abortion are raised. It takes courage to respond to arguments when you're outnumbered, but we're doing it.
How can an expecting mother not succumb to the pressure, though? Through building a community of life on campus. Men and women in a college pro-life club have the responsibility and privilege of serving women in crisis pregnancies. Is a student who says "You can't do it; there's no way you can be both a student and a mom" going to be there when the woman is going through the abortion (never mind the aftermath)? But ask actively pro-life students what they would do to aid a woman or couple in such a situation, and you’ll likely get a completely different answer. They'll accompany them to a crisis pregnancy center, where counselors can help women truly understand the benefits and consequences of the options. They'll throw a baby shower. They'll research scholarships to help them get back on their feet and continue in school if they choose.
There is nothing wrong with being a woman, and there is nothing wrong with being a mother. Giving life is harder in the short-term than having an abortion, but that’s true with most of the more difficult choices in life.
"It is a poverty to decide that a child should die so that you can live as you wish." --Mother Teresa