Roe is down. As I write these lines I'm still trying to absorb last week’s events, which saw the Supreme Court of the United States overturn Roe vs. Wade, the ruling that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. I'm obviously not an American, but hearing the news made me feel completely ecstatic and beaming with joy. This is something I had been anxiously awaiting, but when it happened for some reason it still caught me by surprise, hence my delay in digesting everything. Finally!
And yes, I’m pro-life. Those who know me in person know just how passionate I am about it, having been active in the anti-abortion movement for almost 10 years. Because I speak English, I have been able to make friends from many different places through online pro-life organizations and groups, the vast majority of which are from the United States. This is why I was so aware of what was happening and all the events that led to the court’s decision. Sadly, because this is such a controversial subject, my stance has led me to lose friendships and be excluded from social circles over time, which is something that I now realize is inevitable when fighting for any cause. I have often found myself being the only pro-life person in the room.
Still, because there are so many well-meaning people hold misconceptions and harmful stereotypes about pro-lifers, I thought it would be a good time to explain to those on the other side (or simply those who are curious) a little bit about why I’m against abortion, hoping that others will be able to understand my motivations better, and maybe even find common ground with me. Here are 6 of the main reasons why I consider myself pro-life.
Abortion is killing: Of course, this is the main reason why people oppose it. It may not have been clear back in 1973, but now we know, thanks to technological and medical advances, how a new human life begins at the moment of conception, when the new DNA is formed. We also know how the heart starts beating at 21 days, brain waves can be measured at 6 weeks and there is response to sound at 16 weeks. A fetus can hear, dream, yawn, suck their thumb and get hiccups inside the mother’s womb. How are those things not signs of life?
Abortion is supremacist: One of the things abortion supporters argue most often is how a fetus cannot survive without their mother, and how, because of that, she should be able to end that life. I personally view this as oppression at its finest, because it essentially says it is okay for me to harm someone who is weaker just because they depend on me. If someone who is too vulnerable to stand up for themselves, shouldn’t they receive more protection, not less protection? And isn’t the humaneness of a society determined by how we treat those who are weakest among us? If the answer is yes, abortion is wrong. We all have a moral obligation to speak up for those who cannot do it, and that includes the unborn.
Abortion is discriminatory: This is the reason that led me to join the cause in the first place. People like myself, who have health conditions that can be prenatally diagnosed, are constantly targeted for elimination via disability-selective abortion. In certain countries, the termination rate when the fetus is discovered to have Down syndrome, spina bifida or even minor things like a cleft palate is as high as 90 percent. This makes abortion both the earliest and deadliest form of discrimination that we face in the disabled community. The other major group that is in danger of being decimated are girls, who are aborted at alarming rates in cultures that favor boys.
Abortion is sexist: For many years, the feminist movement has fought for men and women to share equal responsibilities when it comes to raising children, and to eliminate the gender norm that says it is the woman's duty to stay home. Yet, with abortion being available, the entire responsibility falls back on the woman's shoulders by leaving her with the unbearable decision of whether or not to have her child, while the father can easily walk off without having to care for the life that he helped create. All he has to do is give her money for the abortion and then he is free to do as he pleases. What is even worse is that, for some reason, the narrative now considers it liberating for the woman to make this choice all by herself and for the man to have no say in the matter, when it should be the opposite.
Abortion is capitalism: Ever since it became known that the Roe reversal might happen, countless companies in the United States, such as Amazon, have offered to cover all expenses for their workers who travel to have abortions. And yet, these same companies are the first to refuse to accommodate pregnant and parenting employees by providing maternity leave, child care and flexible schedules. They claim abortion is a “choice”, yet they implicitly impose it by not supporting other options because it is cheaper for them not to have to support their workers’ needs. In all honesty, the idea that employers are willing to pay a woman to get rid of her child so she remains productive speaks volumes about how this patriarchal and misogynistic system punishes the life-giving capacity that is typically considered female.
Abortion is a band-aid: The pro-life movement has argued for years that he overwhelming majority of women who seek abortions do so for socioeconomic reasons, and nowadays even pro-choice leaders agree. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood (the largest abortion provider in America), 75% of women say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependent, 69% are economically disadvantaged and 61% are already mothers. This means that, rather than a free choice, terminating the pregnancy is a last resort. It also indicates that, once the woman has left the clinic, the situations that drove her to make thie decision in the first place are still there, hence why 50% of abortions are repeat abortions. And while certain scenarios are less than ideal for a child to be born into, eliminating the sufferer instead of the suffering itself is a mere band-aid, that does absolutely nothing to address the root causes of the aforementioned issues. The pro-life perspective suggests that the real solution is a common societal and governmental effort to provide mothers and children with a strong social safety net and state programs aimed at helping vulnerable families.
I suppose I could cite a million more, but I had to write this article almost on the fly because of how quickly the events unfolded, so these are just the most relevant ones. The reason why I decided to post it now is because social media platforms are currently flooded with people's thoughts and feelings on this issue, and online debates are more heated than they have ever been before. While those on the pro-life side call this a historic win for the unborn and the sanctity of life, those on the pro-choice side have called the decision a debacle, a tragedy and an attack on women's rights. And yet regardless of those radically different positions, the level of violence and toxicity coming from both sides has been appalling, to say the least. From stereotying to insults and threats, it is almost impossible to defend one's own stance without being attacked. Nevertheless, I still hope that these words may help create opportunities for healthy discussions without as many preconceived notions and misunderstandings, and without engaging in childish, rude or violent behavior. Actions may speak louder than words, but the words we use still matter. When engaging in your next abortion debate, please remember that.
Sincerely, a proudly pro-life person.
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