What Does "Pro-life" Mean?

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, 

it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck 

and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:6 -- Jesus of Nazareth

 This evening there will be a second presidential candidates debate, if it can be called that given the wild first attempt.  Perhaps the microphone mute will make a difference, and perhaps pigs will fly.

It is hard to imagine how so many Americans continue to support Donald Trump as a viable option for president, given the disaster of the past four years. And it is shameful that without the supposedly Christian vote he wouldn't have a prayer. Millions of conservative Christians, including Evangelicals and Roman Catholics will vote Republican because they perceive Trump as a pro-life candidate. meaning that he is opposed to the ready availability of abortion. There is what I consider an obsession with this single issue, even though the rate of abortion in the United States has declined over the past 50 years.

It's important to be aware that there are coalitions of Christians including both Evangelicals and RCs who oppose Trump's re-election because they feel that being pro-life is not the same as being anti-abortion. Many of them do not support ready access to abortion. But they point out that incarcerating migrant children, building a border wall,taking a hard-line immigration policy, and supporting the death penalty are not "pro-life", if the teachings of Jesus are taken seriously. Some say that the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans to COVID-19 because of government ineptitude, with many of them vulnerable elderly people, is not "pro-life" either.

We've just learned that the US government cannot find the parents of more than 500 apprehended migrant children, which means that they have been effectively orphaned. I can't describe how disgusted and angry this news makes me. This is a moral failure and human rights violation which should be opposed by any decent American. 

Jesus condemned those who would do anything to threaten the safety of vulnerable children, and suggested harsh punishment for this sin. It's one of the most condemnatory statements Jesus made. Those who purport to follow Christ might do a little bible study (Trump certainly won't) and repent of their foolish ways.