don't you dare tell me I'm not "pro-life" just because I support I woman's right to choose

There has been plenty of hate being flung about reproductive rights and women's health in the past months, likely due to the upcoming presidential election cycles. Much of it really has been thinly veiled sexism. This discussion, and its attendant media coverage, is centered on how well (predominantly male) society believes women are able to care for their own bodies and how much trust we have in them to make medical and economic decisions. And much of the most aggressively destructive criticism is coming from faith voices. Personally I think this is the most upsetting part of the whole conversation.

I was in medical school, I've studied embryology extensively. I am by no means suggesting that conception and pregnancy are not miracles. But not every fertilized egg makes it to the baby stage for evolutionary reasons, so I have a hard time agreeing that life begins at conception.

I'm quite sure that many readers will be offended by my position on the issue. However, I think it's especially important for people of faith with this opinion to speak it. Our voices have power and I am tired of being made into a villain because of a closely held belief that life should be valued at ALL stages, and not just at birth.

I support life...

• That's why I'm so depressed whenever I think of the health outcomes of that child, whose mother was "guilted" into continuing her pregnancy, that grows up in an abusive household with no food to eat.
• It's even more depressing when the same people that advocated for that Mama to keep her baby are the strongest voices screaming "Hey poor people, pick yourself up by your bootstraps. It's your fault that you're poor. We don't want to fund safety net feeding programs anymore--Welfare Moms are abusing the system" (research shows this is not the case).
• It's also upsetting that these (predominantly) women are failed over and over by a justice system that is more likely to believe a male attacker's story than a female victim. It's already hard enough to report abuse, but even harder when the automatic perception is that you're making it up.
• That's why I support (and teach) comprehensive sexuality education. Because how in the world can we expect people to know how to prevent pregnancy if we don't teach them first?
• That's why I'm so upset that we perpetuate the idea that women are less than and therefore eligible to be sexually assaulted because they were wearing a short skirt/were drunk and asking for it.
• Just to clear the air...it doesn't matter if I am standing naked in front of you, I am not asking for sex unless I verbally and enthusiastically consent (say "yes") to sex. The absence of a no, does not mean yes.
• That's why I'm so upset that the number one growing population of homeless people is LGTBQ youth.
• That's why I don't support the death penalty and am shocked and saddened that 166,000 Nebraskans signed a petition to get it re-instated in Nebraska, even though it has previously been deemed illegal. This suggests to me that the sanctity of life somehow expires at the age of majority.
• In related news, how is it legal/not a conflict of interest that our Governor funded the petition?
• Not to mention the perpetual fight to get $54,400 worth of the drugs into the country, even though many governmental organizations have been all-but-screaming about how illegal it is. Why are we spending so much NE taxpayer money on something that's illegal (and also not allowed into the country)?
• That's why mass incarceration of African American males upsets me and boggles my mind. 
• In 2013 there were roughly 745,000 black males incarcerated in the United States. That's more than the entire prison populations (including ALL races) of India, Argentina, Canada, Lebanon, Japan, Germany, Finland, Israel AND England combined.
• There is absolutely no evidence supporting the idea that African American males are more prone to being criminal or deviant, so please do not suggest that.
• That's why I'm so confused that there's a gun violence epidemic (deemed so since 1995 by the American College of Physicians) and we are doing literally nothing about it. There seems to be short-lived outrage after each mass shooting (285 shootings alone in US from Jan 1, 2015-Sept 25, 2015), but no significant changes in behavior or policy. It's not just mass shootings. In 2013 (the most current data available), more than 21,000 people in the United States committed suicide by way of a firearm--that's more than 50% of all suicides. This is not just a civilian problem. Our veterans are also facing real problems with suicide--and many, if not most, are inflicted by guns.
• I refuse to entertain discussions about the constitutionality of guns. This is a public health epidemic. They are legal to own, I get it. But people are dying from them. So let's talk about it.
• I also refuse to entertain discussions that gun deaths are due to inexperienced gun owners/accidental deaths. While that is true of a minority of deaths, this point is refuted by the high numbers of self-inflicted veteran deaths each year. Our veterans are arguably some of the most well trained gun handlers, so let's move the conversation to something that has a chance of being more productive.
• That's why I overwhelmingly do not support involvement in war.
• That's why I do support welcoming migrants, immigrants, and refugees into our country. There is a reason that people are leaving their home countries.
• "You have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat, unless the ocean is safer than land." (Home by Warsan Shire)
• That's why I wanted to be a pediatric neurologist, so that I could be with children and families in those moments when you're really not sure whether life or death is better, but it's just so hard and painful to discuss.
• That's why I can openly weep and grieve when a friend gives birth to a wanted, celebrated, and prayed for baby who was tragically and traumatically born still at 42 weeks. That family chose and wanted to have a child, that's not necessarily true for other families.
• These ideas are not mutually exclusive. I support whatever choice a woman makes. Because I trust that it's the best decision for her and for her family.

Of course I support life! Please stop telling me I don't. Fully supporting a life means that I give up control in dictating how that life is lived, including what medical decisions are made. I also fully believe in a woman's ability to understand her individual situation and make a decision that is best for her and her current (and future) family.

No one wants an abortion. It's their very last resort. There will not ever be an abortion epidemic. Let's allow women some autonomy over their uteruses and show once and for all that we really do value life at all stages.