It Isn’t Pro-Life. It’s Pro-Control.
The conversation surrounding abortion is enormously emotional; the weight of such a decision is extremely impactful and often traumatizing. No one is getting pregnant with the intention of getting an abortion—that’s just the fact of the matter here. The circumstances that bring a person to this point of difficult decision making are often life-threatening, traumatic, and/or unavoidable.
The pro-life argument centers on controlling an extremely intimate medical decision for the sake of preserving their own emotions. I understand that the initial sperm and egg combining creates a living cell; I do. I understand what this living cell can potentially develop into—it is one of the most epic wonders of life! However, restricting a person’s ability to make an important choice about their body, future, and overall medical well-being is absurd.
Yes, there is a living cell existing in you at the time of conception. However, this living cell is just that—not a dependent newborn or an elderly person—a cell that has no personhood, just potentiality for it. The difference between a dependent elderly person or a newborn is that literally anyone can take care of them. We have (expensive yet underfunded) systems in place that provide childcare opportunities and elderly care facilities. When looking at a fetus, the only person who can sustain it is the gestating individual. Therefore, the only person who should be making decisions about whether the fetus remains inside of them or not is that one individual!
Abortions genuinely save lives. We should not force individuals to go through the labor of gestation and childbirth for the sake of it! Unexpected and/or forced pregnancy ruins lives. When you prevent people from receiving vital care that is their personal business, you wind up having neglected, abused, and impoverished children and families.
