Why Millennials Are More Pro-Life (and Are More in Favor of Gay Marriage)

It is the case that the Millennial generation does not divide issues into the traditional conservative/liberal camps. With their parents' generation, if one supported gay marriage one also tended to be pro-choice. If one opposed gay marriage, that person also was pro-life. There are always exceptions, of course, but that has clearly been the trend.

But Millennials cannot be so neatly labeled. The majority of Millennials favor gay marriage and they also are increasingly opposed to abortion on demand and favor restrictions on abortion. A big part of the reason is the result of technology. Melissa Barnhart reports:

 Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, told The Christian Post in a recent interview that advances in ultrasound technology is just one of the many reasons why teenagers and people in their 20s are joining the movement. 

"There's a window into the womb with ultrasound. Just having the look into the womb you can see, even in the first trimester, the early development of the child-- you can see the humanity of the child," Rose said. "Now that we have that imagery and it's more prevalent, people are having that personal encounter with the child, so it's easier to recognize their human rights." 

"All of these factors are inspiring to younger people who see it as a human rights abuse and an attack against women and children, and they want to join the movement," Rose added.

The reference to technology allowing for a personal experience with a child while still inside the womb is critical, in my view. Kathryn Brown, a college student states,

"I think one big reason is because our generation is the one that's missing so many people because of abortion," Brown commented. "There are many people, college aged, who have siblings who were aborted. There are people missing in our lives because they were never given the chance to live-- siblings, friends, maybe even people we would have married. We mourn them and we resolve to stand up for their God-given right to life so that others will not share that same fate."

In simple terms, the reason a majority of Millennials are in favor of gay marriage while opposing abortion is personal experience. They have gay friends; and they are missing friends and family members to abortion. It's the human element that has led them to their positions. If one can dehumanize, then one can reject the individual dehumanized. Dehumanize the homosexual and all of a sudden they don't matter. Dehumanize a child in the womb calling it a lifeless blob of tissue, then "it" need not be brought into the world. The difference is that unlike their parents' and grandparents' generations, the gay community is no longer relegated to the shadows of society; and with the current ultrasound technology, unborn children are no longer hidden in the darkness of the womb. And these factors have become a game-changer in reference to both issues.

As the discussion of both subjects (and other issues as well) moves into the future, the dialogue and debate will not look, feel, or be the same as it has been.

I'm not sure that's a bad thing.