Sunday, February 7, 2010

Pro-Life Superbowl Commercial

I am really excited for the Superbowl tomorrow(technically, later today). Football is a rallying point for my family, including my in-laws, and I love the hype and excitement the Superbowl generate. We'll be watching at home, since the last few have been interrupted by fussing babies, but my husband is planning a tasty meal of roasted chicken and twice-baked potatoes! Like most people, I'm almost more excited about the commercials than the game(lifelong Cowboys fan, so not really vested in either team playing). And the ad getting the most attention before it has even aired is Tim Tebow's commercial against abortion, since his mother was apparently counseled to abort him during her pregnancy. I am definitely pro-life, even more so since I have actually experienced pregnancy and motherhood, so I hope this commercial gets that message across in a meaningful way. The Tebows are raising a great point: that abortion snuffs potential by cutting short a life that could be destined for greatness, in this case, a Heisman-winning quarterback. But do we sometimes forget the potential for the men and women who are losing the opportunity to become parents? It has been my experience that our human relationships pull us further out of ourselves to experience life more fully than we can on our own. With marriage and parenthood, I have known joy and sorrow, humor and anxiety, love and anger, unlike anything I knew before. By linking our lives to others, we have a chance to grow and experience redemption and truly become better people. I read an amazing article on the Tebows' Superbowl ad by Sally Jenkins which got me thinking about how we can make a difference on this very controversial issue. Jenkins, a pro-choice feminist, states that everyone "wishes the 'need' for abortions wasn't so great." This made me do a double-take. I had assumed that if a person was pro-choice, that they would be pro-abortion no matter what. Well, if we are all agreeing that abortion is not a great thing, that unplanned pregnancies put people in a difficult position of having to choose between three painful options (raising a child unprepared, giving a child up for adoption, or killing that child), then why are we still arguing about this? Let's stop fighting over whether abortion should be legal (let's face it pro-lifers, just because something is illegal doesn't mean it won't happen) and instead, do what we can to reduce/eliminate the need for it! Let's encourage responsibility, education, and support for young men and women before they have a knife over their heads. Let's stop encouraging promiscuity, sending mixed messages about sexuality, and criticizing abstinence! Who's with me?