If I had a penny for every time I heard a misconception about being pro-life, I would be able to afford season tickets to all the Hawkeye games.

One common misconception is pro-life people only care about life in the womb.  People who oppose abortion support children after birth and some adopt or support adoption.  As someone who cannot have biological kids, I would love it if the Biden administration federally funded adoption instead of abortion.

PROLIFE Across AMERICA, a national non-profit based on Biblical and Roman Catholic teachings, networks with 3,000 pro-life agencies nationwide which provide confidential counseling, information about pregnancy and adoption, and medical services to women, including post-abortion services.

It’s not true pro-life people do not support adoption or women — we also support life after birth, as well.

 Students for Life, the largest national pro-life organization, also opposes euthanasia or assisted suicide. As a prospective future clinical psychology graduate student, I support suicide prevention and helping people struggling with their mental health.

Hannah Dake, a junior at the University of Iowa majoring in journalism and mass communications and member of the UI’s chapter of Students for Life, said she is an advocate for mental health and is against euthanasia.

“My beliefs are that pro-life extends past abortion,” Dake said. “We are called to walk with people through any suicidal thoughts they may have.”

Dake said when talking to her friends who are pro-choice, they often say pro-life people care more about the baby than the mother. Dake said she volunteers at a Young Parent Network, a non-religious and nonpartisan organization, which helps people through young pregnancies.

It’s not true pro-life people don’t care about the mother. We want to help her with whatever she needs to get through the pregnancy. We just also see the fetus inside her as a human being. There’s nothing inherently prejudiced about believing being in the womb does not decrease one’s right to live.

Also, some pro-life people do not oppose abortion if it is a life-or-death situation. I personally agree in that case — it is health care and not only does the mother have the right to an abortion but deserves compassion and sympathy. However, I think it is wrong to use these tragic situations to justify abortion when it is not a life-or-death situation.

Despite Iowa having some strict abortion policies, funding for abortion is not restricted in cases of rape or life endangerment. To offset instances of abortion, Iowa encourages adoption.

It is free to adopt from the Iowa foster care system and Iowa does not require someone to be married in order to adopt. Iowans for LIFE has links to adoption agencies on their website and “values the sanctity of all human life from fertilization to natural death.”

They advocate across the state of Iowa on issues relating to life, including euthanasia.

There are misconceptions about the pro-life position, such as that all pro-life people are against women’s rights and only care about life in the womb. There’s a whole lot more to being pro-life than just being anti-abortion, including the belief all human beings have dignity and value.

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.