We would like to thank Mr. Jenkins for his comments on Oct. 16, 2013, and offer a response on behalf of Louisiana Students for Life.
One cannot justifiably denounce pro-lifers, as a whole, as indifferent to the quality of life of post-birth babies or of their families.  Pro-life tenets encompass both the value and quality of human life.
There are numerous pro-life organizations working specifically to provide services and support to babies, their families and post-abortive women.  
The core issue here is whether or not the unborn is human.  If the unborn were not human, but an inanimate growth or extension of the mother’s body, then it would be devoid of rights.  However, if the unborn is human, then the rights and lives of both mother and child have equal and intrinsic merit.  Leading embryologists, Drs. O’Rahilly and Müller, state in Human Embryology and Teratology, “Although life is a continuous process, fertilization is a critical landmark because, under ordinary circumstances, a new, genetically distinct human organism is thereby formed.”  Abortion is the termination of an existing, not potential, human life.  We aim to protect all human life in all its stages, and to aid families with any difficulties they may face as a result of their newest member.
The repudiation of human rights has been a recurrent theme throughout history. For instance, slavery, which is now considered an abhorrent violation of human rights, prevailed as an accepted societal practice in the United States for 246 years. Slaves were considered to be less than human, and therefore, exempt from having natural rights. Similarly, abortion is currently socially and legally acceptable because unborn babies are perceived to be less than human. How different would society’s perspective and our nation’s laws be if, and when, we acknowledge that the unborn are fully and indisputably human too?

Gisela Collazo
Louisiana Students for Life member