The Pro-Choice Conundrum
There are two sides to every argument. There are two colors on a checkerboard. There is good and there is evil. And there is pro-life and pro-choice. I consider myself pro-life and I truly believe in the supporting arguments behind why I believe in it. The supporting arguments are consistent and true. When I try to understand the supporting arguments for pro-choice, I get quite confused. I call this the pro-choice conundrum.
Merriam-Webster defines pro-choice as follows:
- favoring the legalization of abortion
- believing that pregnant women should have the right to choose to have an abortion
So, by definition, a pro-choice supporter wants our government to legalize the killing of another human and give a human the right to “choose” to kill another human. The problem is that killing is illegal and it is prohibited by God. How can you advocate for a position that is in direct conflict with our country’s laws and the laws of God? It simply does not make sense to me.
I found this article named “15 Reasons To Be Pro-Choice.” It is on the Odyssey Online website written by Mary Lunsford on March 29, 2016. I think this article perfectly demonstrates the pro-choice conundrum.
Here are the pro-choice arguments as presented in the article.
A pregnancy should never be mandatory
Pro-choice supporters believe that a woman should be able to kill another human because a pregnancy is unplanned, a mother cannot afford prenatal care, a pregnancy is a result of rape, or a pregnancy may put the mother in health danger. I don’t think any of these reasons justify killing another human being. If a pregnancy results from rape, a woman doesn’t have the right to kill the rapist. She’ll go to prison. So, she shouldn’t have the right to kill the baby with no consequences.
Sex is a natural aspect of human life
By this argument, a person can have sex whenever they want with no regard for the consequences because she/he is a human and that is a natural part of being a human. There are these things called contraceptives. If you use them properly, you can enjoy your “natural” sexual urges safely and responsibly.
Contraception is frequently unavailable
You can readily and cheaply get birth control pills and condoms. So, if I’m understanding this correctly, not being able to get a contraceptive makes it okay to choose to end a human life if you happen to get pregnant as a result of having sex (see previous section) because “sex is a natural aspect of human life.”
Bodily autonomy is a basic human right
The pro-choice argument is that a woman is an autonomous being while a fetus (aka, baby) is not an autonomous being. “Autonomous” meaning that the woman is not dependent on something else for life while the fetus is dependent on the woman for life. So, it is okay to kill the fetus, but not okay to kill the woman.
The pro-choice position as presented in the article for the bodily autonomy argument breaks down into the following sub-arguments:
The bodily autonomy of a woman is a basic human right
So, a woman can choose not to have a non-autonomous fetus be inside her and do away with it for her own basic human right. Sorry. That’s not a basic human right.
A fetus is not its own being because it is dependent on the woman
This argument is used quite often by pro-choice advocates. A fetus is a tiny human being, regardless of its dependence on another for its life.
If a woman intends on bringing a child into the world, she accepts the responsibility of protecting the fetus. But a woman who chooses not to carry a pregnancy to term is not under the same obligation.
If you don’t want the baby, you are under no obligation to protect the fetus. So, killing the fetus is acceptable. Bad argument.
A fetus is a body, but it is not a physically, biologically independent body.
Correct! That’s the way God made it. But it will eventually be a physically, biologically independent body. You are just deciding to take its life before that naturally happens.
I support the mental health and well-being of women
I also support the mental health and well-being of women. If a pregnant woman unfortunately suffers a mental diagnosis during pregnancy and she murders another pregnant woman. Is that acceptable?
It is time for men to stop dictating the actions of women
I am a man and I resent this argument. I’m not dictating what a woman should do or should not do. I’m simply stating the logical reasons why I don’t believe it’s right to choose to take another life for any reason. It has nothing to do with being a man or a woman. This is a weak argument.
Pregnancy and childbirth is a massive financial undertaking
Correct! It is costly. I worked at a hospital for 10 years. Despite the financial obligation and health insurance situation of a patient, the hospital cannot turn anyone away. If a woman cannot meet the financial obligations after birth, there are plenty of people looking to adopt babies.
There are too many orphaned children in the world
There certainly are a lot of orphaned children in the world already, and that’s very sad. But, just because you don’t want to add another orphan to that group and you can’t keep your baby, that does not give you the right to terminate the baby. That baby is still a human life.
A woman’s sexual, health, and reproductive choices are none of my business
And they’re none of my business either. They are the woman’s business only. And the woman should make responsible choices including not taking a human life as a result of those choices.
Teenage pregnancy is still incredibly prevalent
Teenage pregnancy is tragic and can take a toll on the young girl and her family. However, if a young girl does get pregnant, taking the life of that baby because you are a teenager and it might disrupt your life is not a responsible decision.
The US still lacks quality sex-education
I don’t believe sex education is the responsibility of our schools. The parents should bear this responsibility. Some parents are negligent with this responsibility. Regardless of the lack of sex education, it does not warrant taking a life. As the police always say when you get stopped for a traffic violation, “ignorance is no excuse.”
I support freedom of religion
I also wholeheartedly support freedom of religion and I try not to force my beliefs on others. But is this really a valid argument to kill another human? Regardless of religious affiliation (or no affiliation), every person has a moral compass and can make whatever decisions she/he wishes. Your guide is “you and what you know is right.”
Illegal and unsafe abortions should never be the last resort
Correct! This is a huge problem with abortions. And this is another reason why the decision to take a baby’s life should be avoided. As mentioned before, a woman should not put her own life in jeopardy to have an abortion that will ultimately take another life. Abortion can be traumatic for the woman and even more traumatic for the baby. Just imagine if someone stabbed you and then you got sucked up by a vacuum cleaner. That’s what happens to the innocent child. And, the child can feel it. If you don’t believe me, watch it for yourself.
Abortion is not equivalent to murder
It is equivalent to murder. I get tired of the lame argument that a fetus is not a human. Just because you can’t see it and touch it doesn’t mean it’s not human. Just because you have an incorrect idea that it is a blob of membranes doesn’t mean it’s not human. A baby is a human life from the moment it is conceived. And you shouldn’t have the moral authority to decide to end its life. It’s no different than stabbing someone because you think they don’t deserve to live or they won’t be able to feel it.
I support the empowerment and advancement of women
Last I read, women have been empowered and advanced in record numbers. Just look at how many women were voted into the House of Representatives in 2020. I support this wholeheartedly. But, my support doesn’t mean they should be able to take another life because they are empowered. I think that empowerment and advancement should include a respect for human life. Advance humankind through your actions, not your words. And, people will respect you as a human.
Conclusion
Consider a hypothetical demonstration where pro-life supporters are on one side of a street and pro-choice supporters are on the other side of the street. The pro-life supporters have signs that say we want to protect a human life. The pro-choice supporters have signs that say we want to protect a woman’s choice. But what exactly is the choice they wish to protect? It is to end a human life. They hide behind the word “choice.” If they were honest, they would have signs that say we want to protect a woman’s choice to end a life, because that better reflects their true position.
Being pro-life means protecting God’s creations, including the most innocent and fragile. It is virtuous. There is no evil side to it. You cannot say that protecting a life is a bad thing. A person who is pro-choice could say that you are denying her/him the right to end a life. I don’t think that person should be denied that right. However, she/he should already know it is wrong and morally reject that so called right.
