Letter to the editor
I voted against the pro-life resolution that the City of Benton council recently passed. Here’s why.
For me, pro-life is more than a moral call to save the unborn at all costs. Pro-life means:
Protecting the marginalized and the most vulnerable in our populations, including:
Passing legislation that mandates paid family and sick leave for workers. The US is one of only a few developed countries that is currently without such a policy. Passing such a law makes us pro-life.
We need policies and services in place that support a families’ decision to have children, especially encouraging businesses to support mothers and babies beyond the first 24 months of a child’s life. Our resolution should encourage businesses to provide appropriate accommodations to women who are pregnant and/or nursing.
Unintended pregnancies are a real health concern, and most likely occur among women ages 18-29 years of age, according to the National Institute of Health. Our pro-life resolution could have easily included a call to arms – ensuring access to affordable healthcare and medicine after birth and for the life of the individual.
Our pro-life resolution should include a challenge that encourages individuals, businesses, and social service organizations to work together to ensure access to affordable housing, education, and transportation, all services that support working, pro-life families in our communities. We could start by allocating more funding in our city’s budget for things that support a healthy lifestyle. One is to ensure every neighborhood in our city has sidewalks by 2040 and denying any sidewalk variance request in our city subdivisions – a place where kids and families live, work, and play. That’s pro-life.
I am not pro-abortion. But I am not for a resolution that further divides our community. Now more than ever, we need to work together to ensure every individual, regardless of their backgrounds, identities, or beliefs, experiences a sense of inclusion that truly says, “you belong here.”
That for me is pro-life. This resolution falls short.
-Robin Freeman
Alderwoman, Ward 2, Position 1