Would You Donate 1 % ?

Would you donate 1% to save a life?

Not 1% of your money but 1% of your time?

You see, 9 months -- the time it takes a baby to grow to maturity in its mother's womb -- is just 1% of a woman's life expectancy. Just 1%. Can we not all donate 1% to see that a life is saved?

When a woman is shocked by an undesired pregnancy, it's hard not to be overwhelmed by the sudden surprise, the recognition of the long-term implications, the gravity of the situation. But if we can just look for a moment from the broader perspective of our lifetimes we can realize that this unexpected shock does not equal catastrophe. Women are strong, resilient, and used to fulfilling a wide variety of roles throughout their lives. Yes, donating 1% is a sacrifice. But not an unmanageable one.

And balance the sacrifice with the certain knowledge that there are literally thousands of couples vying desperately for the opportunity to provide the best home and upbringing possible to the child you bear. Every child is a very wanted child -- though it sometimes takes just a small amount of effort to locate the ones doing the wanting, by making a phone call or two to an adoption agency.

We do not need Supreme Court appointments to overturn abortion law (but I'll take 'em). We don't need more pro-life politicians (but I'll be voting for them). We need every woman and girl in America of child-bearing age, or who will one day be of child-bearing age, to decide in her heart and in her mind right here and right now that by whatever unforeseen circumstance she should find herself pregnant at a time when she does not want to be, she will follow through with the mere 1% required to save that life within her. Women and girls need to proclaim their bodies are a sanctuary, and they will not destroy any life found growing therein. No matter what. We have "no-kill" shelters for stray dogs. Wouldn't you want your own uterus to be a "no-kill" zone?

Avoid pregnancy until you are ready. But if it occurs, spend 1% seeing it through to birth, and spend the rest of your life with the certain confidence that you did the right thing.