Media and pop culture normalize abortion as “healthcare” and create a widely misinformed population, ignorant to the reality of abortion and its ramifications. Many abortion supporters are often bandwagoners, following along with common phrases heard from abortion supporters . Let’s go over five popular pro-abortion arguments from a pro-life perspective.
“My Body, My Choice”
First off, let’s go over possibly the most common slogan heard at pro-abortion protests or rallies: “My Body, My Choice!” The problem with catchphrases like this is that they state a widely agreed position, while affiliating the phrase with an alternative meaning. In this case, women have the right to abortion because they get to choose what happens to their bodies.
Most would agree that one should have complete autonomy over their own body. In this case, women deserve full protection and bodily autonomy of their own bodies. However, a fetus is not part of a mother’s body. There are two bodies present, both deserving of protection and human rights. Or, in the case of twins or more, multiple bodies are present and all are precious life.
“My body, my choice” makes pregnancy a “woman’s problem” and allows men the position to neglect responsibility for the child they helped create. Because we have rights and autonomy, we must protect and respect one another, including the weakest among us.
“It’s a Clump of Cells”
Since a fetus is not the mother’s body, let’s look into what a fetus is. What value does it have? Let’s debunk the rhetoric used to dehumanize our most vulnerable group of people: “A fetus is just a clump of cells.” Many people buy into this lie and don’t see the harm of terminating a pregnancy when the fetus is an undefinable “mass of tissue”, has no rationale, no viability outside of the womb, etc.
Just because a fetus is dependent on the mother’s body for survival does not negate its right to life. A child outside the womb is dependent on his or her mother or external care for survival. A four-year-old is dependent on external care for survival, but he or she does not lack protection because of their lack of rationale or dependency on outside care.
The Texas Heartbeat Law, which prohibits abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected in the state of Texas, was so important because the media was forced to admit the complexity of a fetus as young as five weeks’ gestation. Some fetal heartbeats can even be found as early as four weeks! The human body is truly amazing, and a young fetus is growing from the moment of conception until birth.
“Abortion in the Case of Rape or Incest”
The standard is that abortion is wrong; abortion ends a life. The pro-abortion argument wants to use the most horrendous circumstances of a few to justify the killing of all preborn lives.
Women and young girls who suffer from sexual assault and incest already endured one trauma and injustice. The truth is that abortion is another added trauma on top of the first assault, and women should be protected from this harm instead of being coerced into another traumatic event with long-term repercussions.
Abortion is trauma.
We know abortion is traumatic because of the various ways abortions can be performed. From the abortion pill to surgical procedures, every abortion approach comes with its own side effects. We also know that abortion is traumatic because many women regret their abortions. And abortion puts women at a higher risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.
Because it may be too emotionally difficult for a woman to carry, give birth to, and raise the child of her rapist, abortion is the obvious answer for many who consider this scenario. However, a life is not worth less because of the way it was conceived. A child should not be punished because of the crimes of the father. More trauma does not heal previous trauma. Having an abortion will not make right the actions of the perpetrator. Only an innocent life suffers.
“Abortion Is Healthcare”
How can the killing of an innocent life be considered healthcare when physicians are supposed to uphold the Hippocratic Oath? Pro-abortion supporters argue abortion is an essential component of a woman’s health care and is a “safe intervention.”
Abortion is never medically necessary.
What if the mother’s life is at risk? One commonly cited medical issue where abortion should be protected is an ectopic pregnancy. The media conflates treatment for ectopic pregnancies with abortion, discussing them synonymously when they are entirely different procedures and ethically different scenarios.
Treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion because it is a non-viable pregnancy where the fetus cannot develop because it is implanted outside of the uterus. If not treated immediately, the ectopic pregnancy can be fatal to mother along with the child.
Abortion for babies with fatal diagnoses.
Many parents are put in the position to terminate a pregnancy when the fetus is suspected to have a fatal diagnosis or future health complications, should the pregnancy continue. Abortion is often presented as the only option, and this is problematic for many reasons. For instance, terminating a pregnancy due to the condition of the child widens a door to eugenics, where babies with potential disabilities are aborted.
Another concern is that babies can and have been misdiagnosed in-utero. The CDC reports that 3% of babies are born with birth defects. A 2014 French study found that 8.8% of defects picked up by an ultrasound were wholly incorrect or given a false positive and that 9.2% were misclassified.
Perinatal palliative care for the child is an alternative option to termination. In a palliative care study where 20 parents were given a prenatal diagnosis of lethal fetal abnormalities, 40% of parents chose palliative care and gave positive feedback about their decision to avoid guilt, to allow time spent with their child, and to prepare for the baby’s death.
Abortion Alleviates a Burden to Mother and Baby
Many abortion supporters argue for abortion due to the financial burden and possible harmful environments a child could be born into: How can we force mothers to carry out their pregnancies if they cannot financially support their children?
Whether a mother is financially affluent or poor does not add to or diminish the life of a child. The child still has the right to life, regardless of the situation they are born into. It is a great evil that our society promotes the death of children over support for women.
There are alternative answers for women considering abortion, she just needs to know where she can turn to for support. Pregnancy Resource Clinics (PRCs) are so impactful in these situations, offering professional care to women and youth on a free or low-cost basis to offer abortion alternatives.
PRCs are pro-baby and pro-mother, offering services such as:
- Pregnancy testing
- Consultations (education on parenting, adoption, and abortion)
- Medical services (early obstetrical ultrasounds, medical exams, STD testing and treatment)
- Prenatal and parenting education
- Material assistance (diapers, baby outfits, new car seats, and strollers)
- Sexual risk avoidance education
- After-abortion recovery support
- Medical care referrals, and
- Connections to community and public health resources
PRCs are not the only resource for mothers and babies, but they are an alternative voice representing life and abundant care for women in crisis.
Conclusion
It’s a shame that 73.8% of women feel pressure to abort because of external pressure, because they feel alone, and because our culture promotes abortion as the best option. We need to trade media and pop culture for love and compassion for one another. Thank you for going against the grain, choosing to love and support mothers and babies. Consider sponsoring a life-saving ultrasound today and changing the life of both a mother and a baby.
