The Saint

By Catholic Editor, Faith Addington

In today’s world, the sanctity of life is being increasingly threatened. In accordance with the Catholic social teaching of human dignity, all human life is given dignity at conception because the human person is created imago dei (in the image of God). This belief is the root of Catholic teaching by emphasizing the value of human life, the love God has for us, and how we are called to treat one another.

This week, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit down with Catholic, Pro-Life advocate, Anna-Marie Comden. She began getting involved with the Pro-Life movement in high school after going to the Chicago March for Life and was able to get a job with Protect Life Michigan shortly into her college career. 

“The Pro-Life movement can be a really difficult topic to discuss,” started Anna-Marie, “because it is often seen as an anti-abortion campaign. However, this is simply not true. The Pro-Life movement supports all life from natural conception to natural death. A miscarriage is also classified as an abortion, but the Pro-Life movement exists to talk about elective abortions in which the woman chooses to terminate the pregnancy.” At the point of conception, a woman’s body is no longer one life form, it’s two. The development of life in a woman’s womb is a sacred sign of divine love, reflecting the sacred bond between creator and creation: the Lord and humanity.

While the Pro-Life movement is largely seen as a Christian movement, Anna-Marie took a different stance. “The Pro-Life movement is not a religious movement, rather, a human rights movement. Our goal is to save every life, not just the born lives. Abortion goes in with the intention to kill at least one life. How can that be considered healthcare?” Unfortunately, the very society that claims they are attempting to help women only worsens the situation. By using language such as ‘wiping away a mistake’ or ‘starting fresh,’ the mindset of the woman is changed from being pregnant with a beautiful, innocent child to terminating the pregnancy in order to live the ideal life. “Women who get unexpectedly pregnant feel as if they have two options: abortion or a challenging life. There are so many places you can go to get food, financial help, diapers, clothes, and ultrasounds,” said Anna-Marie.

“I have known many people in my life who have had unexpected pregnancies that have later said it was a huge blessing in their lives. Sometimes the biggest darkness in your life might just turn out to be the light at the end of the tunnel,” she advised. “If anyone wants to talk, whether you are Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, or want more information, please reach out to me at comdena@aquinas.edu.”