How to Raise Pro Life Children

In our society today, abortion rights are fiercely defended as a foundational civil right and are even promoted by many religious groups and professing Christians as a way of love. How can we seek to raise children who won’t be susceptible to those pressures and falsehoods?

Younger Children

Marvel at life itself

All of God’s creation is marvelous and speaks of His glory. And yet there is a distinction between those things that are alive and those things that are not, and between those things that have the “breath of life” in them, and those that do not (Genesis 1:30).

Teach your children to marvel at things that are alive. Marvel at everything from the resilience of plants to the smooth gliding of a goldfish to the attachment of a dog to its owner.

Marvel at every kind of baby and its development

Take advantage of the reality that God designed humans to be fascinated and delighted by babies! Maximize that fascination and delight and share it with your children. Help them examine the tiny paws of a kitten or consider the amazing way in which human babies learn to speak.

Marvel at life in the womb

A startling number of young people don’t have any idea that a baby in the womb is anything more than a clump of cells. Be sure that your children understand that every baby is a baby before birth, not just after! Use resources to teach them about the miraculous development of the child in the womb.¹ When family and close friends are pregnant, utilize the opportunity to talk about each stage of the baby’s development and even talk to the baby in the womb.

Marvel at eternal life

The Christian pro-life cause is not just about earthly life—it’s about eternal life. Be sure that your children understand the gospel truths of spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1) and then spiritual life through Jesus Christ (John 5:24). Help them understand that this life is eternal life that begins now and then continues forever (John 6:54). If our children understand that God is a life-giving God who has given life to them both physically and spiritually, they’ll be more likely to celebrate life in every way possible.

Teach the God-given importance of parents

Our society today is seeking to demolish the realities of male and female, husband and wife, and mother and father. And yet this is all part of Satan’s plan to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). God designed children to flourish when they have both a mother and a father, but the large majority of abortions do not occur within the context of a marriage relationship. Everything you do to help your children understand the importance of parents reaffirms a pro-life mindset.

Model a father’s responsibility

Both common sense and research tell us that irresponsible men and absent fathers are significant factors in the prevalence of abortion. A father who consistently takes responsibility in the home for things like protection, provision, instruction, discipline, and spiritual leadership sets an example for both his sons and daughters. Sons learn what it means to be a responsible father and daughters learn the kind of responsibility they should expect from any potential marriage partner.

Older Children

Teach the connections between sex and life, sex and marriage, and sex and parenting

Our children are growing up in a society that has been deceived into believing in both the existence of no-cost sex as well as the absolute human right to experience its pleasure however one wants. Birth control and abortion allow for this delusion to continue, and yet in reality sex is not merely about human pleasure, nor is there such a thing as no-cost sex (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:6).

It’s important for our older children to understand that sex is pleasurable as a kind gift of God (Proverbs 5:19). But to counter the world’s deceptions we must also teach them three vital connections. First, God designed sexuality to be intrinsically connected to the creation of life. “Male and female he created them … ‘Be fruitful and multiply’” (Genesis 1:27-28). Second, God created the power of sexuality to be guarded and treasured within a covenant marriage relationship (Genesis 2:22–25). Sex outside of marriage is always outside of God’s purposes. Third, sex is directly connected to parenting. Contrary to the dominant mentality of our culture, no one should ever have sex with another person with whom they are not ready to parent in a healthy, biblical household.

Teach the connection between the devil and death, and help them see it

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Because God is the Author of life, Satan loves death. Teach your children to see the devil’s deadly handiwork. When transgender ideology dismisses male and female biology and turns gender into a purely psychological reality, the Devil is fighting against life. When homosexuality glorifies same-sex intimacy, life is again under attack. Pornography leads men astray from the kind of healthy perspective on women and sex that might lead to a healthy marriage and new life. Abortion turns the life-giving miracle of the women into a graveyard. Make sure your children see the devil’s deadly work everywhere they turn.

Introduce them to the ministry opportunity of pregnancy decisions

In Christian families and churches, the news of a pregnancy is celebrated because we celebrate the gift of life. But if this wonderful example is all that our Christian young people have seen, they may not even be aware of how frightening and overwhelming the news of a pregnancy can be for many people. They may not understand that many people who get abortions didn’t want to do so but felt they were impossibly trapped and had no other options. When we make our older children aware of these realities, they can begin to develop a ministry mindset that prepares them to serve others in the crisis of difficult pregnancy decisions.

Introduce them to a healthy pregnancy resource center nearby

A biblically-faithful pregnancy resource center is a wonderful type of missions organization that your children may not know anything about. Tour a center near you² — or better yet, getting involved — to make your children aware of the many ways in which Christians can share the good news of Jesus while standing for life.