#1: I’m pro-choice because I understand biological reality. If a single-celled zygote has the same rights as a born person, then every woman with a functioning reproductive system is a murderer. 2/3 of fertilized eggs fail to implant, so if a zygote is a person, then that's a lot of wasted souls. A fertilized egg is not guaranteed to become a person; and sometimes it becomes two or more people (identical twins/triplets). Also, in the case of a molar pregnancy, the zygote has not developed into a conscious human being, but into a potentially life-threatening tumor.
Without consciousness, a body is not a person. That’s why it’s legal to withdraw life support from those who are brain-dead. A fetus has no life of its own, physically or mentally, until it's separated from the mother. Physical development starts when the egg and sperm cells are produced—but actual, conscious life isn't possible until many months afterward. Also, until viability, the embryo/fetus is fully dependent on the mother and cannot survive outside her body. An embryo has some value because it's a potential person; but the rights of actual, conscious women far outweigh the "rights" of a non-sentient clump of cells.
Abortion bans are black-and-white, but abortion isn't always that simple. Women, not the government, are in the best position to evaluate their circumstances and choose the best option. It's not fair to take a potentially life-saving option away from all women just because some of them might misuse it. In some situations, abortion is truly the merciful choice. Should a child rape victim be forced to give birth, permanently damaging her body and mind? Should a woman be forced to carry quintuplets and lose all of them, knowing that selective reduction could have saved two or three?
Also, abortion bans create a slippery slope. Should pregnant women be jailed for child endangerment if they do anything that might be risky to the fetus? Every right we give to the fetus is a right we take away from the woman. Of course, I'm not saying abortion is always the answer. I'm just saying that forced pregnancy and government-mandated childbirth are not the solution. Bringing every pregnancy to term is simply not reasonable, and we need to accept that fact.
#2: I’m pro-choice because I support gender equality. Banning abortion means that men have total control over their bodies, but women don’t. It's not fair to make women follow through on their decision to have sex when men cannot be held accountable to the same degree. Yes, we can require men to pay child support, but that will never be the same as forced pregnancy. Pregnancy is invasive, risky, and a leading cause of death worldwide. Complications can include—but are not limited to—blood clots, cancer, diabetes, hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, permanent loss of bowel/bladder control, facial paralysis (Bell’s palsy), depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Some of these conditions are rare, but others are common and can be difficult to treat.
Even if an embryo were a person, their personhood would be irrelevant to the abortion debate. There is no other situation in which we would force someone to sustain another person's life. For example, we don’t make people donate blood, even though blood donation is much less risky and invasive than pregnancy. Or let’s say you’re in the hospital, you need a kidney transplant, and the guy who just died downstairs is a match. Guess what? You can’t have his kidney if he’s not a registered organ donor, because we respect people’s right to bodily autonomy even after they’ve died. If you want to ban abortion, then you’re saying that a living, breathing woman deserves fewer rights than a corpse.
#3: I’m pro-choice because banning abortion isn’t the best way to stop it. Banning abortion is like putting a cutesy Band-Aid over a hemorrhaging gunshot wound: it makes us feel good about ourselves while doing nothing to fix the source of the problem. Abortion bans don’t prevent abortions; they prevent safe abortions. Is it really pro-life to create a situation where girls and women die from back-alley coathanger abortions and other unsafe techniques?
If we really want to prevent abortions, we should prevent the situations that lead to them in the first place. Women who get abortions are not heartless monsters; they are desperate and don’t know where else to turn. Give them somewhere else to turn. Give them accurate, comprehensive sex ed classes so they understand how their bodies work. Provide access to contraceptives so they can make informed decisions about family planning. Teach them the importance of consent, and actually listen when they report abuse and assault. Create a social safety net to help those in poverty afford basic needs like food, shelter, healthcare, and counseling. Support childcare and after-school programs so single parents don't have to choose between their children and their career.
Why make abortion illegal when you could just make it unnecessary? Solve the underlying problems, and you’ll eliminate the demand for abortion.
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