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In my last post for Rehumanize, I wrote about how being pregnant had affected my pro-life beliefs. It had led me to a crisis of faith of sorts — because, let me tell you, pregnancy is hard. I had always thought that because I wanted to be a mother so badly, my pregnancies would be the best time of my life. I would get a radiant glow, a perfect bump, and woodland creatures would gather around, humming the praises of my creation. Ha!
The reality of pregnancy is that you don’t only eat for two, you feel for two. Those joyful moments — hearing your baby’s heartbeat, feeling them kick, or, let’s be honest, having a really good piece of cake — just feel so much better. And those sad moments, those moments we’ve become accustomed and callous to, feel so much more sad. Those angry moments — the moments where you feel as if you’ve been wronged, or those moments when you feel righteous anger, like you just need to do something — get even stronger. You feel an exhaustion and a drive you have never felt before, all at the same time. Mostly, you feel overwhelmed.
So what does this mean for someone who is committed to the Consistent Life Ethic? All those issues you’ve read about, researched, and advocated for become twice as real. Especially the pro-life ones. In my time writing for Rehumanize, as well as participating in other pro-life and CLE groups, I’ve come across a lot of issues, questions, and subjects most people wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Now that I have a child of my own, albeit still inside me, I’m beginning to look at everything with twice the perspective I had before.
This is the beginning of a series of posts on different issues through the perspective of a pregnant person. I’d like to invite you to accompany me on my journey taking a look at issues I have covered before through a fresh pair of eyes — specifically, through the eyes of a mother. As I prepare to raise my wonderful little one, I’d like to share with you my own perspectives, thoughts, and feelings as I bring up the issues of today. I plan to address topics such as maternity leave, prenatal testing, and support for pregnant women. I want to share my experiences to give an authentic voice to all the people out there who are wondering if it will really get better after the morning sickness, when you are throwing up in your sink all alone. I want to say: it will. And you are not alone.
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