Pro-life Investing
This month, thousands of pro-life advocates gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 50th annual March for Life. This year’s march was a celebration of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a goal of the pro-life movement since 1973 – a huge victory for the protection of unborn babies across the country.
With the celebration, this year’s march is also a rally cry to continue to advocate for the unborn until they are protected in all 50 states. Abortion is still legal in most states, some up until the moment of birth! Over 63 million babies have been aborted since 1973[1]. That’s comparable to the combined populations of California and Texas or the combined population of the 27 smallest states! There are marches for life happening in many states this winter and spring.
As people who recognize the value of each human life, we need to keep advocating for life in our states and communities. There are many great ways that pro-lifers are involved – from public policy advocacy and education to providing health and wellness services and resources to pregnant women, new mothers, and their babies.
Defunding the Abortion Industry
One way to oppose abortion is the movement to defund the abortion industry. Pro-life legislators at the federal level are introducing bills to curtail the use of federal tax dollars to support abortion, such as the $633 million in taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood[2]. State legislatures are seeing similar bills proposed.
At a grassroots level, many consumers choose to boycott certain pharmacies that dispense abortion pills, companies that manufacture abortion drugs, or other businesses that are involved in the abortion industry. Indeed, the push to defund the abortion industry, through legislation and with our wallets, is something that makes a lot of sense to most pro-life advocates.
Are you funding and profiting from the abortion industry?
While defunding these organizations makes sense to pro-life advocates, the sad reality is that many pro-lifers are actually funding and profiting from the abortion industry through their investments. Most investors do not actually know what companies they are invested in through the mutuals funds and ETFs in their portfolio.
The result is that pro-life investors can be marching in Washington D.C. or supporting local pregnancy centers and at the same time investing their assets in companies that make abortion drugs or provide abortion services, hoping for good dividends and a return on their investments.
Do you know if you are invested in and profiting from abortion? The best way to know for sure is to screen your portfolio to discover what activities you are actually invested in. We offer complimentary portfolio screening because we believe investors should know what they own. If you don’t know what you are invested in, then please let us provide this service to you!
What can you do if you’re profiting from abortion?
When we screen a person’s portfolio, many are shocked to discover the business practices that they are profiting from. We commonly find investments in the abortion industry but also in other harmful industries like pornography, gambling, and addictive substances. Most of the people we work with do not want to invest in such things. So, what are your options?
Some people try to justify it by reasoning that they are actually investing in the mutual fund company and not the underlying holdings. While this may be true from a technical perspective, in reality the person still wants to make a profit and that happens when the underlying holdings increase in value or pay dividends. In this scenario, the person is still profiting from the companies held in the fund.
Other people reason that it is too hard to avoid so they should focus on making as much money as they can and then they will donate it to pro-life causes or to their church. The underlying assumption is that the ends justify the means, but this is clearly not the case in God’s Kingdom.
For example, Deuteronomy 23:18 says, “You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.” In this example, the way someone earned money disqualified it from being dedicated to God. God doesn’t need your money, he wants your heart. The Bible puts a high value on life, how do you think God will view making money from abortion, even if you plan to donate the profits?
At Beacon Wealth Consultants we believe that the best response is to invest in a way that aligns with your faith values. Often called faith-based or biblically responsible investing, the investor seeks to avoid investing in or profiting from companies involved in the abortion or other harmful industries. One of the easiest ways to do this is to work with an investment manager like Beacon Wealth Consultants who not only have financial expertise but also robust screening philosophies and procedures.
If you don’t know what you are profiting from in your portfolio, request a complimentary screening today and find out.
If you find you are profiting from abortion or other things that you wish to avoid, give us a call and we can help you plan your next steps to investing in a portfolio you can be proud to own.
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[1] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/abortions-since-roe-v-wade
[2] https://www.foxnews.com/us/planned-parenthood-rakes-record-taxpayer-funding-abortions-increase-adoptions-fall