The following article is a synopsis of an episode from our Life Chat Podcast series. To listen to the full episode, click here.
“You don’t have to put men down for women to succeed… we all have to help each other succeed in this game of betterment for our society.” This is a sediment firmly believed and expressed by David Cordaro, the former regional coordinator of Students for Life. But is this really true? There is definitely a taboo against men voicing their opinion against abortion in our culture today, and Cordaro does his best to debunk this way of thinking, and shed some light on why men are so crucial to the pro-life movement.
David Cordaro has been involved in the pro-life movement since 7th grade, when one of his teachers at a private Catholic school asked him to lead the school’s pro-life club. He explains that he didn’t even know what “pro-life” was at the time, but when he asked his parents about it, his mother shared a touching story with him about how being pro-life had affected their family and David’s life.
David’s mother explained to him how when she was pregnant with David’s older brother, her doctor had pressured her to have an abortion. There were complications in the pregnancy,, but she was adamant that she would not kill her unborn son. Now, David says, his older brother is perfectly healthy and is a diplomat overseas, owns his own company, and is married with two kids. “He is a testament to the pro-life movement,” David explains, “To strong women who say ‘absolutely not.’” His mother was one of those strong women who opposed the doctor’s advice to abort her child, and now she has a successful, healthy son to show for it.
Inspired by this, David accepted the role as leader of the school’s pro-life club and went on to stay involved with pro-life events and groups throughout high school and college. The first time he remembers being very vocal and actually engaging in discussions with people about pro-life issues, however, is when he went to a rally in Wisconsin with the Students for Life group at his college. Since then, he has been active in the pro-life movement and even worked as a regional coordinator of Students for Life after college.
When asked why he thinks men have the right to speak up against the harms of abortion, he explains that it’s basic biology: the girl doesn’t get pregnant by herself! Half of the baby that is created is from the man’s body. He explains that even though this is the case, men don’t normally have parental rights, or get any say really. “Once you take the man out of the picture, it sets a really bad precedent [for the woman and society]… How do we hold men accountable if we strip them of their rights right away?” he asks.
Besides the fact that we need to hold men accountable, however, David gives perhaps a more universal, basic reason men should be involved in the pro-life movement. That reason is the mere fact that we should not discriminate who should be allowed to have a say on issues based on their gender. “Why are we getting bogged down with identity politics?” he asks. Anyone who has a say on why abortion is right or wrong should be allowed to have a voice, and they shouldn’t be discriminated against based on their sex.
“Arm yourself with the facts and then don’t be afraid to speak up when you can.” Mary Kate reminds the audience at the conclusion of this interview. Anyone and everyone should have a say on whether or not babies can be legally killed in the United States, and the opinions of fathers and men around America are needed more than ever.