The African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” has become a popular mantra in recent years. Everyone from politicians to social commentators use it to illustrate how important communities are in bringing up our children.

There is certainly some truth to this statement, but unfortunately it is often used in an underhanded way to de-emphasize the importance and sovereignty of the family. You see, what it really takes to raise a child is a family, not a village. Every village has a “village idiot” that you want to keep your kids away from.

In other words, when the village doesn’t have the right values, then the family is a child’s only protection from destructive forces in our culture… like forces that often tell us that “abortion is the only option.”

This is why we, as pro abundant life people, do not only emphasize the importance of saving babies, but also the importance of raising children in strong families led by mothers and fathers who are married to each other and are working in the best interests of their children.

Only with such God-honoring families can we hope to defy the village’s pressures to abort our precious children and build a culture of abundant life. Thank you for standing with us in this sacred work!