Honorable Mention: Emma Eisenmann
Grade 5
More Babies
I am a Catholic, and I support being pro-life. I am the third oldest of six kids; I have two older twin brothers, two younger girl siblings, and one younger brother. Many of the families I know have a lot of children, and surprisingly my grandma is one of 16 children. I am also homeschooled. I attend a co-op on Fridays, and everyone at our co-op supports the pro-life movement. Since I am a part of a big family and I’m around big families and pro-life people, I don’t often encounter pro-choice people, but I want to be prepared. I will support pro-life for as long as I live and will always stand up for it and what is right. Here, I will share with you why preborn babies are the same as you and me and how I can participate in building a culture of life by helping others see that preborn babies are human beings.
Preborn babies are just like you and me! Each of us has a body: We have our hair, our fingers, our toes, our eyes, our ears, our mouth, our nose, our nails, and more. We also each have a mind. We can each think and even react to something. When we get scared, we might scream or start laughing. It might be a little different, but a baby also reacts to stuff in the womb. When someone talks to the baby sweetly or accidently startles a preborn baby, he may kick inside the mother’s womb. Even St. John the Baptist did this when the Blessed Mother spoke to St. Elizabeth at the Visitation.
We all have a soul, too. We are made in the image and likeness of God, which means we are His reflection and we can imitate His love. What a responsibility, but also an honor! Preborn babies also have a Guardian Angel like we do. When my mom was pregnant with my twin big brothers, she was heavily protected by three Guardian Angels! We are different from all other creatures. We can choose, and we were made to worship God. This baby in a mother’s womb will too when the time comes! I think it is very sad that people think that the baby inside the mother’s womb is just a pile of cells. Really, this is a great human being who is coming into the world.
It is challenging to make a difference in the pro-life movement at the age of 10, but here are some ways I can build a culture of life at this young age. I can wear my pro-life shirt or sweatshirt. I can try to convince pro-choicers to see that there is a living baby in the womb. I can also be joyful when my mom or any mom is pregnant. One way I could do this is simply ask, “When are you due?” or “Do you know if the baby is a girl or a boy?” Most of all, I can never ever be unhappy when someone is pregnant. I can also try very hard to be kind to all people 100 percent of the time wherever I am, no matter how they look, how they act, or what they do. This demonstrates valuing life, too.
I enjoy the pro-life movement, and I hope that one day the pro-life movement will win the battle. I pray pro-choicers will change their minds about life and see that preborn babies are just the same as you and me and not just a pile of cells. I also pray that I can build a bigger culture of life by helping others see this truth. If I can’t change their minds, I will pray for their hearts to change. Hopefully, one day abortion will be illegal, and more babies will come into this world and bring joy to everyone.
On Tuesdays, my family and I try to schedule our events so that we can go to our local Planned Parenthood. Each time we go, we pray different prayers, including the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross, outside the building as cars drive by. One thing I notice when I go there is how people respond to us. Some people give us a thumbs up, others wave, and most don’t respond at all. But each day we go, I also see people yell at us, shout bad words, or turn away. Each time I see these people, I always wonder why they don’t want to admit that these innocent babies are alive.
I believe all people—whether preborn babies, children, or adults—have the right to life. I hope to sum up why I believe this in three points: The Visitation, abortion’s impact, and how we can help.
In Luke’s gospel, it tells of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, often referred to as the Visitation. When Mary reaches Elizabeth’s house, Elizabeth’s preborn baby, John, leapt in her womb. Why? It was in recognition and praise! John leapt because he recognized his Savior—the one who would save him from his sins. He was absolutely happy, and he wanted to share his joy with others. He was so full of happiness that he jumped for joy! John experienced the feeling of joy, just like all living people feel it. Though not yet born, John was able to adore his Savior.
Abortion has made a huge impact on people. Abortion not only takes a life, but it also deprives the world of joy. Like John wanting to spread his immense joy to others, babies bring happiness into the world. When we look at a baby, we can’t help but smile. This tiny human is just like a big, joyful present from God. And now, with abortion, people wish to destroy this wonderful child before he can even enter the world. A preborn child is a living creature. Some people choose to believe abortion is okay because they think preborn babies aren’t alive. But they are. Abortion is taking the life of a person who can’t defend himself. It is murder, but people think it’s fine because they can’t see the person they are killing. Abortion deprives the world of a gift and a child of his life.
So, how can we help? We can help by praying for an end to abortion and by building a culture of life. A culture of life is defined as a society “where every human life is recognized as a sacred gift from God and worthy of protection and care from the moment of conception until the time of its natural end.”1 Because life is important, we have laws that say murder is wrong, and people who kill another person will be punished. This is because every living being belongs to God because He is the creator of life. So, when someone takes another’s life, he has not only ended the life of another, but has also destroyed what belongs to God alone: His creation. Life is beautiful, yet people are choosing to be rid of it because they decide they can make the choice of who lives or not. But choosing to take someone’s life was never a choice given to us as human beings. We can help end abortion by explaining to others that these aborted babies are just like we are. They have emotions just like John the Baptist. They can feel love before birth. Killing these babies is murder. Speaking to others about how these children are living human beings strengthens our culture of life. Together, by teaching others about how abortion is wrong through a culture of life, we can change the world. We can save God’s creation.
We have explored how abortion is wrong and why we need to change it through the Visitation, abortion’s impact, and how we can help. I hope that through these points I have summed up why I believe all people—whether preborn babies, children, or adults—have the right to life. Human life is precious. Without the gift of children, our world simply cannot continue. Mother Teresa once said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” People who abort babies feel like this one life won’t make a difference. But every life makes a difference, just like each drop in the ocean. We as a nation need to take action to stop abortion because, if we don’t protect God’s gift of life, who will?