I’ll be frank: pro-life rhetoric is the biggest load of bullshit. I’ll never understand it, and I’ll never respect it, because it’s not about life at all and it ignores so much scientific fact. All the pro-life agenda is? Is an attempt to control and punish people born with a uterus.
Some of what I say may tread on the toes of those who believe in “ensoulment” at conception, which I apologize in advance if that offends, but given it is an argument used to prohibit what I believe is many human beings’ rights to bodily autonomy, I will speak very strongly against the idea.
If one believes that a human being’s life begins at conception (i.e. the fertilization of an egg), then this must also be reconciled with biological fact. 50% of all fertilized eggs do not implant in the uterine lining. Meaning, that if ensoulment at conception is real, 50% of all “ensouled human beings” don’t even make it out of the starting gate. They’re literally washed down the bio drain.
Then, of fertilized eggs that do implant, 10-20% of those end in natural miscarriage. Which means, even without human intervention, 60 to 70% of all potential human beings die before having been born. That’s just nature doing it’s thing.
In short: If life does begin at conception, this means the vast majority of all lives aren’t even born.
The idea of ensoulment/personhood/etc. at conception is also confounded by the existence of chimeras. Chimeras are the result of two embryos fusing together; it is a human being with multiple sets of chromosomal DNA. In these cases, are these human beings actually two people? Do they have two souls? If someone kills a chimera, can they be charged for a double homicide? It’s just something to think about, because if one does argue of ensoulment/personhood at conception – then chimeras can’t just be brushed under the rug.
With regard to whether abortion is “natural,” abortion is not restricted to human beings alone. Rabbits, tiger sharks, whales, monkeys, horses – all have been known to terminate pregnancies for a variety of reasons (usually with regard to stress and lack of resources), which means animals have been known to abort for social reasons and health reasons.
Speaking of which, here’s some reasons people born with a uterus may feel the need to terminate a pregnancy. Scream if they’re bullshit or flimsy reasons or just some people being selfish (because so often people are called “selfish” for choosing abortion).
Insufficient resources to provide for a child (whether that’s money, housing, etc.)
Risky domestic situations (victims of domestic abuse can be tied forever to their abusers through a biological child)
Infidelity (so a risk to a marriage or potentially one’s life)
Health risk (cancer, heart conditions, pre-eclampsia, etc.)
Quality of life of the child (debilitating and fatal medical condition of the potential child, etc.)
Career (some will lose their jobs if they become pregnant and carry to term and they may rely on those jobs)
Education (some schools will kick out teenagers if they become pregnant)
Cultural/Societal implication to having a child out of wedlock (stoning, honor killing, etc.)
Already has many children to care for and doesn’t have the time/resources/energy to care for another or endure a pregnancy while rearing children
Rape (someone may not feel psychologically capable of delivering a child born of the trauma)
Age (people born with a uterus are becoming fertile at younger and younger ages, which could result in a health risk, psychological trauma, etc.)
I mean, that’s obviously not every reason (how could I list them all?), but those are just some potential reasons people choose to abort their pregnancies. It isn’t always just, “Ah dang, this is inconvenient.” Sometimes there is incredible risk involved to one’s livelihood – whether it’s the fact a child will be something that will tether an abuser to them, whether the pregnancy will psychologically damage them, whether they can afford it (you know how many doctor’s visits go into a pregnancy?), or if they just aren’t capable of handling the pregnancy (due to career, education, age, mental health, etc.).
Even so? Even if it is just as simple as, “I don’t want to be pregnant”/“I don’t want to do this”/“I don’t want to lose my figure”? Well, if “passes” can be made for people in extreme circumstances… why not make “passes” for everyone?
That is where the hypocrisy of people’s pro-life tendencies rears it’s head. So often I’ll hear: “I’m against abortion except in cases of rape/incest/life of the mother”, but those statements have no credibility to me, because saying abortion should be “allowed” in those dire situations is saying, “I don’t really believe the fetus is a human being/life with the same rights as a person.” Because can a child of rape be murdered without prosecution? Or a child of incest? Or a child that was born out of a maternal death? No. Because they’re human beings once they’re born. Not at conception. Not while they’re still in the uterus.
As for the argument: “Well, they should’ve just used birth control/contraception?” The majority of abortions are a result of failed birth control/contraception. 54% of all abortions are a result of a contraceptive failure. Heck, most of my friends who have kids were on some form of birth control at the time. It isn’t perfect, even when it’s used perfectly. Shit happens. People get unlucky. And people shouldn’t be punished when their parachutes don’t open.
I am sure some pro-lifers will say, “Don’t have sex if you don’t want to risk getting pregnant,” but that’s stupid. That’s like telling people never to drive if they don’t want to get in a car accident. It’s human nature for many. Fact is? People are going to have sex.
Even then? Abstinence isn’t a guarantee. I already mentioned rape before, but rape is a reality many people face – and it can result in a pregnancy. In which case, if an abstinent person with a uterus is raped and becomes pregnant – are they allowed that abortion ticket if they want it? Or must they be forced to carry to term the result of their trauma without any consideration to what is best for them?
A lot of this is why I feel like the restriction of abortion is more of a tactic to punish than a legitimate belief in the sanctity of the potential life inside of their bodies. If someone can rationalize why some can receive an abortion, but not others? There’s a problem – and it isn’t with abortion.
People can abort for any reason. That’s what being pro-choice is. It isn’t judging them for the why of it, it’s respecting and honoring their decision to make a difficult choice about their own body. In the end, that’s what this is about: allowing people to have bodily autonomy. Control of what goes on inside of it. No one should have that right except the individual.
Why I get so fired up about this, is that so many lawmakers and politicians have politicized this basic human right to autonomy by playing on people’s emotions (everyone loves babies after all) and weaponizing religious beliefs (as many religions believe in the sanctity of life). There’s movements to make abortion illegal, but abortion needs to remain safe and legal. Outlawing it has only cost more lives in the long run, because people who do not want to be pregnant will find a way to terminate their pregnancy regardless of the legality. Whether that’s asking people to beat them to a pulp until they miscarry, throwing themselves downstairs, ingesting poison, or sticking coat hangers into their vaginas. Most of these methods have proven fatal or have caused permanent sterilization. And abortions have been happening since the dawn of time. Heck, a recipe for an abortion mixture is even referenced in the Old Testament (God tells Moses what to give a woman if she’s been unfaithful to cause an abortion; I’m not joking–it’s called The Test for an Unfaithful Wife).
Prohibiting abortion only causes more death and pain–and that’s been proven time and time again.
gummygunk
titsay
origamiaround
andulkaphoto
areudirty
stormborns
