As we enter Sanctity of Human Life Month this January, it’s crucial to reflect on the profound value and dignity of every human life. Often, this month is primarily associated with advocating for the unborn. However, Women of Welcome invites you to broaden your perspective on what it truly means to uphold the sanctity of life.
Bri Stensrud, Director of Women of Welcome, challenges us in her book Start With Welcome to reconsider our traditional understanding of the pro-life ethic. She asks a provocative question: “Is immigration a pro-life issue?” This inquiry led her to a more expansive view of pro-life, one that encompasses a broader spectrum of human dignity issues.
Broadening the Definition of Pro-Life
Many people in the pro-life movement have grappled with integrating advocacy for immigrants and refugees within their pro-life framework. Some wonder if calling immigration a pro-life issue dilutes the term or stretches it beyond its conventional association with abortion. However, Bri assures us, “It fits.”
Traditionally, the pro-life movement has focused primarily on opposing abortion. Yet, as Bri explains, a more holistic understanding of pro-life advocacy includes various human dignity issues, extending well beyond the unborn.
All Are Made in God’s Image
For Christians, the opposition to abortion is deeply rooted in the biblical belief in the sanctity of every human life. Genesis 1:27 emphasizes that God created humankind in His image, a verse that serves as a cornerstone for both preborn advocacy and the broader sanctity of all human life from conception to death.
Bri encourages us to see every person—born and unborn—as a unique image-bearer of God. When we adopt this perspective, our compassion for the vulnerable naturally expands. “The borders around our definition of what it means to fight for life drift outward in holistic and holy ways,” she writes.
Seeing the Vulnerable As God Sees Them
Scripture frequently highlights the importance of caring for specific vulnerable populations. Bri refers to the concept of the “quartet of the vulnerable,” a term she encountered through pastor and theologian Tim Keller, originally from Nicholas Woltersorff. This quartet includes orphans, widows, sojourners, and the poor.
In the New Testament, Jesus consistently engages with individuals facing various forms of vulnerability, including the outcast, homeless, poor, imprisoned, and mentally ill. He teaches that everyone is our neighbor, urging us to love them as ourselves.
A Comprehensive Pro-Life Ethic
A thorough examination of Scripture reveals no basis for elevating one vulnerable group above another. Bri emphasizes that if our pro-life stance is truly biblical, it should reflect God’s priorities. This means we “should advocate for the heartbeat of the child in the womb, the heartbeat of the child waiting in foster care or in an orphanage, and the heartbeat of the child approaching our southern border.”
A holistic pro-life ethos guides Christians in consistently upholding the dignity of life from womb to tomb. “It keeps us consistent in our various efforts to protect the dignity and sanctity of all life,” Bri writes.
This January, as we observe Sanctity of Human Life Month, let us recommit to a broader conversation about life. By embracing a more inclusive view of life’s sanctity, inspired by God’s unwavering love for all His children, we can truly start with welcome.