Wait until you read the results of this “shocking” new study concerning the families of pro-life and pro-abortion advocates.

I will never forget the day my wife told me we were having another child. I can remember every detail like it was yesterday and it plays in my mind like a slow-mo highlight reel.

A few days prior we had a discussion about our “plan” for having kids. We determined that it would be best to wait up to 3 years before having another child so our kids would be 3 years apart and spaced out in a way we thought best. After the discussion we decided we would wait another year before trying to have our next child.

The plan was good. It took into account a number of factors, including our income, size of our current house, career considerations. It was logical and made sense to wait. I’m sure many of you can relate as you have probably had similar discussions.

Then one day she came walking down the stairs to my office and laid a wrench on my desk as I was working. I looked up, a little puzzled, and asked if something was leaking ad needed fixed. She smiled and simply said, “there’s a wrench in our plan.”

Our story is not unlike that of many others. We plan. We discuss. And we have the best intentions. Then, all those plans and discussions are thrown out the window as we discover a precious child is on the way.

“Of course it is not only that pro-life families tend to be larger and pro-choice families smaller and that kids tend to adopt their parents’ attitudes. That alone would simply not be enough to account for what makes pro-abortionists tremble and pro-lifers rejoice: younger people as a whole are markedly more pro-life. There are a million reasons younger people not reared in pro-life families come to understand that abortion is not an “answer” to a “problem.” It is the problem.”

Well, that conclusion really isn’t all that shocking after all. It’s easy to see how such a conclusion could be made in light of the worldview held by pro-life and pro-abortion advocates. My wife and I didn’t abort our daughter because we value life and believe that every life should be defended and protected from conception to the grave. This conviction led us to bring our daughter into the world despite the fact that she interrupted our plan. Plans can be re-planned. Children can’t be born once they are aborted.

While I don’t have any statistical analysis available presently, I would venture to guess that pro-life people also have a larger percentage of handicapped children than others. If your worldview says that it is acceptable to kill an unborn child for any reason, or no reason at all; then certainly it becomes acceptable to kill a child because it has a physical or mental handicap. In fact, pro-abortion advocates could even rationalize the decision, saying they are being “compassionate” to the child by aborting rather than bringing him into the world as a handicapped child.

It’s no surprise to me that the majority of articles I read about parents rejecting abortion when given a difficult medical diagnosis for their child involve the pro-life position. Often I read about parents being told their child has one of the trisomy conditions (18 and 13 seem most common) and that their child is “incompatible with life outside the womb.” Because of this, doctors often advise parents to abort their child. But pro-life parents will refuse and endure pregnancy knowing their child will die hours, days, or weeks after being born.

To go through pregnancy and birth, knowing full well your child will die soon after being born shows an incredible love.

And I have no doubt that pro-life parents are more likely to fight for their children to be given every ounce of care needed to ensure their life is prolonged; even when the possibility of long-term life is not medically possible. A case like Charlie Gard is a good example of parents seeking to protect their child regardless of cost or other factors. (Note: this is a very complex case with good people on both sides. This article by Joe Carter shares an excellent perspective on the issue.)

I think the most encouraging reality for me is that pro-life families continue to have children and teach them the importance of being pro-life. That value, as it is passed from one generation to the next will become the dominant value in our society and, at some point, will force our country to reverse Roe v. Wade. I can only hope that I will be alive to see that day.