CNN recently published a commentary piece titled “Open your eyes, pro-life feminists are everywhere.” Written by pro-life advocate Helen Alvaré, the piece is designed to wake people up the reality that America is full of pro-life feminists. While accurate, the commentary also paints a problematic picture of what feminism has become and how far it has fallen.

Feminism, although it has shifted and changed throughout the years, has traditionally been pro-life. Women like Mattie Brinkerhoff, Victoria Woodhull, and Susan B. Anthony were leaders of the first-wave feminist movement, and were outspokenly pro-life. For example, Woodhull once stated:

Men must no longer insult all womanhood by saying that freedom means the degradation of women. Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth.

These feminists were not opposed to abortion because of how medically unsafe it was at the time, as the popular pro-choice argument of today so frequently states. Instead, they saw abortion not only as the murder of a helpless child, but also as a way to enslave and degrade women. After all, abortion being pushed as a “solution” allows for men to live careless and irresponsible sexual and personal lives, while avoiding having to step up and care for the women with whom they involve themselves.

The original feminists also knew that abortion is anything but freedom for women. Instead, it kills roughly 50 percent of pre-born women, while leaving women who have abortions traumatized, with deep emotional and physical scars. It leads to women being bullied, coerced, and mistreated.

Abortion is anything but pro-female.

Thus, the label of pro-life feminist is a little disturbing. If you are truly a feminist, no matter where you fall on other issues, you should be pro-life. It is the logical decision and stance.

The fact that a commentary piece would point out pro-life feminists as an unexpected group shows just how far feminism has fallen. From the 1960s on, women have blindly swallowed the lie that abortion is pro-woman and have become advocates for the very chains they wished to discard.

Abortion is not pro-female, but instead damaging to women. Next time you are in discussion with someone who self-identifies as a feminist, let your first question be, “So you are opposed to abortion, correct?”

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