I used to be pro-choice.  When I was a teenager growing up and even into my first years of college seminary, I believed the Church was wrong when it came to the abortion issue and I was pretty stubborn in my beliefs.  I disagreed with the Church on a number of issues!  A good question to ask is: why did you want to be a priest when you disagreed with the Church?  My answer has two parts: first, God called me to be a priest and I chose to accept the invitation; second, I was arrogant enough to think that I could change the Church. Unfortunately, in my twelve years of Catholic education, no one ever explained to me WHY the Church is pro-life and against abortion.  Maybe a teacher mentioned it here and there; but, no teacher/catechist took the time to really explain the science and theology behind our pro-life stance.  I only remember being taught “that’s what the Church says,” as if the Church woke up one morning and decided to pick a side of an argument.  Luckily, the Holy Spirit opened my heart and mind to hear some “new ideas” (at least they were new to me) and now I can see the truth and where my former beliefs fell short of the truth.
 
First, life begins at conception! Look here for some quotes from various journals and public universities that prove life begins at conception.  When sperm fertilizes an oocyte, they form a new living organism we call a zygote.  Does it look like a fully developed human? No. Is it alive? YES! Is it a living organism? YES! Will that organism continue to grow and develop into an autonomous human being? YES!  Life begins at conception. It’s really that simple.  
 
Second, while we should have freedom to do what we want with our bodies, we do NOT have the freedom to take another human persons life.  The argument of “my body, my choice” doesn’t apply for abortions because you have to break that very principal in order to have an abortion.  You are killing/murdering the living organism growing and developing inside of you because you do not want to be pregnant for any number of reasons. Why doesn’t that body inside have a choice?  Why do you get to choose what happens to that persons body?  This is an extremely arrogant argument because what it really says is: “I’m the only one who matters; therefore, I can do whatever I want/choose.”  Remember, life begins at conception.  If you choose to have an abortion, you are not giving the human life inside of you a chance to choose anything for them self, you permanently remove their choice of anything in life because they are killed.  “Pro-choice” really doesn’t make sense when speaking of a certain side of the debate…”pro-choice” advocates only want freedom to kill others for a select group of people and not for everyone.  That is not real freedom.  That is not equality.  
 
Third, the argument “anti-abortion laws suppress women’s rights and are supported by privileged white men,” is a deflection from the real questions that deal with the beginning of human life and the ability to choose who we can or can’t kill.  Pro-abortion advocates use this argument as a way of grandstanding and distracting others.  Abortion is NOT a women’s rights issue, it is a human’s rights issue. Abortion is the killing/murder of human beings who can’t defend themselves.  Those human beings are both men and women.  Abortion hurts all people.
 
Fourth, many believe that pro-life advocates only care about saving babies and not about how they are raised.  A common misconception, and another deflection created by pro-abortionists, is that pro-life advocates “don’t care” about babies born into broken, poor, parentless families.  Again, this is a misconception and a lie.  There are plenty of centers and orphanages run by various non-profit agencies who help young moms, unwanted babies, and homeless parents raise and care for their children.  Almost all of them are pro-life and take part in many pro-life activities.  Yes, there are many angry, unreasonable, disgusting, and mean pro-life advocates out there who hurt the cause.  I think the recent film UNPLANNED showed the range of pro-life advocates from the most terrible to the most helpful.  There will always be people who don’t think strait when trying to make a point; but, we can never throw the baby out with the bathwater. Prudence, right judgement, and most of all charity should be used at all times. 
 
I used to be pro-abortion and believed the regular arguments to be true.  Luckily, the Holy Spirit entered into my hardened heart and turned it into a heart of flesh.  As a high school and college student, I never thought I would be praying in front of an abortion clinic or even talking with women and men who have had/thought of having an abortion.  God the Father works in mysterious ways to bring us into Himself.  If you still disagree that life begins at conception, that no one dies in an abortion, and all pro-life people really don’t care about the health of women and babies…there is truly nothing I can do to help you (except give you the facts).  You have to continue asking yourself, “is this what God wants?”  By allowing God into the conversation, you will see if what you believe is true.  God is truth. If it’s true, you will find God.