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Why you must teach your kids about the culture of life before high school
May 3, 2016 (American Life League) — A few minutes on a major television network is enough to convince any parent that the world is a dangerous place for young people. With the current laws in our country, parents must be constantly vigilant if they want to protect the innocence of their young children from the snares of the culture of death.
In recent years, the cultural climate has become so polluted that many parents might be tempted to wait on certain subjects, like a preborn baby’s development, until their children are more mature. But as a people of life, we cannot afford to wait. Here are five reasons why you need to start teaching respect for the dignity of every human being before your students reach high school:
Time is scarce
With added sports, college preparation classes, and science labs to complete, high school students have very little time to start learning about the basics of human development. The culture of life is not built by 50-minute classes three times per week.
Rather, it is a way of life that informs the intellect on the beauty of every human person, born and preborn. In our current society, it would be a travesty for any child to arrive at high school not knowing that a human being deserves dignity, respect, and protection from the very first moment of existence at creation.
While high school students are fully capable of learning basic biological facts in school, there is not enough time for them to build the same kind of foundation for their beliefs in those four short years. Instead, grade school should focus on learning a basic understanding of the culture of life so that high school can be spent looking deeper.
High school is the time to dig deeper
Once kids have a firm foundation in basic facts of biology, they are better able to explore more complex philosophical ideas concerning the respect for all human beings. In high school, students have the ability to start examining the attitudes and opinions of society around them.
They can begin to question and debate the lies of moral relativism in popular culture and multimedia. An early education in the culture of life allows teenagers to be more than simply consumers of knowledge. An early formation in the culture of life turns students into doers.
A high schooler’s first response to a question about euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide should not be “What is that?” but rather, “What can I do to create respect for the elderly or terminally ill in society?”
The fight gets harder
The culture of death targets kids in high school. Under pressure from peers and with so many new experiences available, high schoolers experience a minefield of new topics like abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and population control.
No matter whether your student is homeschooled, enrolled in private school, or attends public school, he will come across friends, teachers, and authority figures who demean the sanctity of human beings through lessons and passing comments.
By that time, your student needs to be not only prepared to speak with eloquence if the topic arises, but also to be emboldened and unafraid, knowing he is defending the least of his brothers in our world. Students can’t be prepared for moments like these if they only learn about pro-life issues one day per semester in their religious education class.
High school is the time to make a difference
Lila Rose started LiveAction when she was only 15 years old. David Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress which released the shocking videos of his investigation of Planned Parenthood, credits his crucial involvement in the pro-life movement to his early formation and involvement in his high school pro-life group.
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As they mature into young adults getting ready to go to college, high school students become fully capable of defending the preborn and protecting the rights of the innocent. Young people are the hope of the pro-life movement, but we must encourage them to use their knowledge and skills to challenge society to respect human dignity.
Even young children appreciate the science of preborn babies
The earlier children understand that preborn babies are people, the better equipped they will be as they continue their education in the culture of life. It’s never too late to start teaching about the beauty and sanctity of all human beings, but your child will be so much more prepared to step out into our broken world if his formation in the culture of life starts by unconsciously living the truth that every human being is of inestimable value.
The future of the culture of life starts with you and how you will prepare the next generation. Will you take the challenge?
Mary Kizior is a content developer for American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program, which stresses the culture of life as an integral part of every academic discipline. CLSP is dedicated to helping students become effective communicators of the pro-life message. Sign up for our email newsletter to see how we can help you foster a culture of life at home and in school. Reprinted with permission from American Life League.