Pro-Life, not perfect: why you can fight for the unborn and still eat meat

The pro-life movement is all about protecting vulnerable lives, and when you’re talking about the unborn, things get serious. But then, along comes the age-old question that often trips people up: “How can you be pro-life and not vegan?”

Here’s the thing: You can totally be passionate about protecting human life without needing to sacrifice your love of cheese pizza or that juicy burger. Let’s unpack how you can stand up for the unborn, have a heart for human dignity, and still grab a steak when you’re feeling hangry. Spoiler alert: It’s possible, and it doesn’t make you a hypocrite.

What does it mean to be pro-life?

First off, let’s get this straight: technically speaking, being pro-life means you believe in the value of human life. The unborn, the elderly, the vulnerable...we’re talking about people here. You can’t be pro-life if you’re cool with killing babies (obviously), but the pro-life movement as a whole is focused on humans from conception to natural death. To get into even more technicalities, the definition of "pro-life" means simply to oppose abortion. That's it. So, while animal rights are important and worthy of conversation, they’re not the same conversation as human rights.

Sure, you can be an animal advocate, and lots of pro-lifers care deeply about animals, but the protection of human life is the main gig. Pro-life is all about those babies in the womb. It’s not a secret club where you have to be vegan to get in. Don’t let anyone guilt-trip you into thinking it’s a package deal.

Saving babies and helping families in need is the main focus of our movement

Many pro-lifers care about animals and want to make sure they’re treated well. We also care about the environment...but we aren't going to stop using toilet paper. You can care about the environment and animal rights, and still enjoy a good chicken nugget. It’s called balance, people.

If your main focus is saving babies, not eating tofu every day isn’t a moral fail. The pro-life movement is centered around advocating for the most vulnerable humans, not giving up cheese. So go ahead, save the babies and still enjoy your BBQ.

We don't need to delve into people's diets

Here’s where it gets tricky for some people: veganism is trendy, but it’s not the only moral high ground to stand on. If you choose to be vegan, cool, more power to you. But don’t let anyone tell you that not being vegan makes you a monster. I mean, last I checked, eating a burger doesn’t make you evil. It just makes you someone who has a different ethical outlook.

The pro-life movement has no official stance on whether you should eat kale or double bacon cheeseburgers. The goal is to protect human life. Don’t let anyone shame you into thinking that if you like to eat steak, you’re somehow compromising your beliefs.

If you’re pro-life, you probably care about human rights, justice, and compassion, so you’re probably also going to care about the conditions in which animals are raised, right? It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing thing. Many pro-life advocates aren’t against eating animals, but they do want to see better treatment for them. You can choose ethically sourced meat without needing to join a vegan community.

Veganism is a personal choice, not a pro-life requirement

You don’t have to be vegan to be pro-life. It’s a personal choice, and that’s fine. You can fight for the unborn, march for babies, care for women and still choose to enjoy a cheeseburger when it’s your turn to chow down. The pro-life movement is not about veganism, no matter how much anyone claims it is. It’s about recognising the inherent value of humans from the moment they first exist: at fertilisation. Just because you’re not vegan doesn’t mean you’re out here supporting animal cruelty.

So here’s the big takeaway: being pro-life is about recognising the value of human life, and that’s the focus of the movement. So whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or the world’s biggest fan of pulled pork sandwiches, your choice of diet doesn’t change your dedication to protecting human life. You can love humans and still enjoy the occasional cheeseburger. Just don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not allowed to stand up for life because you’re not vegan.