Summary
My Argument
Before anything, it's important to find some common ground. If we can agree on the following:
- Government's proper role is to secure rights ("That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men...")
- Science proves that life begins at conception (source | source | source)
- The right to life is arguably the most fundamental right we have
- Under the 5th Amendment's Due Process clause, "nor shall any person... be deprived of life ... without due process of law"
Then the question becomes: are the unborn people?
While this may seem absurd to the pro-choice crowd, there was a time when blacks weren't considered people. As crazy as this may seem to us today, it wasn't considered crazy to the advocates of slavery, and they went to great lengths to justify slavery. Now, this isn't meant to equate people who support abortion with those who supported slavery. The purpose here is to show that, sometimes, we lose sight of things that are common sense and right from wrong,
One thing to make note of is that, historically, the ones doing the oppressing have, themselves, believed to be oppressed.
- The KKK believed that their government had abandoned them in favor of minorities
- Nazis believed that the Jews were responsible for all their troubles
- Slavery advocates believed that their right to property was being infringed and that their lives would be ruined if slavery were abolished
Many pro-life advocates are accused of wanting to oppress women, when in reality, it's the pro-choice advocate that's oppressing the unborn.
Common Concerns & Rebuttals
What about rape/incest or cases where the mother's life is in danger?
Fair point. Abortions and Incest combined account for 1% of all abortions. Even though I strongly believe that the child is being punished, and even though it goes against the right to life and the Due Process clause, I would gladly compromise on this to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. However, I would like for the mother to go through counseling before following through with the abortion. There are victims of rape/incest who originally wanted to get an abortion, but had a change of heart, and went through with the pregnancy. The mother and the child were both grateful that they chose not to go through with the abortion.
In the case of the mother's life being in danger, since there's a conflict in the right to life, I believe the mother should have the right to choose to go through with an abortion.
A women should have reproductive rights.
I agree. It's important to remember that the purpose of procreation is to reproduce. Just like when a person expects to be paid when they work, a man and a woman should expect that they will bring a child into this world when they choose to procreate.
With that said, I support all these methods that a woman (and man) can use to have sex without bringing a child into this world. I also advocate for both men and women to be responsible in making sure their partners are practicing safe sex.
- Abstinence
- Condoms
- Vasectomy
- Female Condemns
- Diaphragm
- Birth Control Pill
- Birth Control Patch
- Birth Control Sponge
- Birth Control Shot
- Birth Control Vaginal Ring
- Spermicide
- IUD
- Cervical Cap
- Sterilization
Why are you against abortions and for the death penalty?
Because, not only is the death penalty constitutional (Due Process clause), but some crimes, namely murders, are so heinous that the criminal is irredeemable.
What about Roe v Wade?
The basis of Roe v Wade:
"We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins . . . the judiciary at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer."
So when Roe v Wade was ruled upon, the SCOTUS said that it could not be determined when life begins (nor was it its jurisdiction). However:
"If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant's case [i.e. "Roe" who sought the abortion], of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life is then guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment."
So if scientists could ever determine when life begins, the 14th Amendment would protect the fetus' right to life. Thanks to the advances and understanding of science decades later, that has now been determined.
Making abortions illegal won't stop them from happening.
That's true. Making murders illegal hasn't stopped people from murdering, either. The purpose of a just law is to define what constitutes an infringement on someone else's rights and to provide justice for the victim and punishment for the perpetrator.
Government shouldn't be involved in our bodies.
I agree. When I was young, I used to be on the fence in regards to the abortion debate. I knew it was wrong, but I didn't think government should infringe on our right to property (in this case, our body).
However, it eventually dawned on me that it's our government's role to secure rights. In this case, there are two conflicts:
- The right to life vs the right to property
- One of those rights is coming at the forced expense of another right
Looking back to the example of slavery, the right to liberty and pursuit of happiness was in conflict with the right to property, and the right to property came at the forced expense of another person's right to liberty and pursuit of happiness. A society that wishes to remain free must recognize that rights do not come at the forced expense of another person's rights. So in order for a woman to have the "right" to an abortion, it must come at the forced expense of the unborn's right to life.
With all that said, the government's proper role is to secure rights, and securing the right to life of the unborn is well within its constitutional power.
Material On Abortions
Abortion has a racist history.
A botched abortion can leave the person scarred for the rest of their life.
Abortion makes up the world's great genocide, killing over 1.5B people, far surpassing the genocide committed by governments that occurred in the 20th Century known as Democide.
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