Bad Arguments Against Abortion

In a previous post I critiqued various bad (though common) arguments for abortion. But to be fair, it should be admitted that there are numerous equally bad arguments against abortion that are regularly employed by pro-life advocates.

I do not relish the task of offering criticism to my allies in this cause, especially those who are on the front-lines doing thankless and heartbreaking work (I was very moved by some of what I saw as I searched for relevant graphics). I hope that what follows will be taken as constructive criticism by anyone guilty of these defenses.

"Abortion stops a beating heart"

While this is indeed true in the case of most abortions (heartbeat begins between the 5th and 6th week), it gives credence to the idea that personhood is simply an earned label that depends on the possession of some predefined attributes or level of development. And if heartbeat is the magic attribute, then we can have no grudge against things like embryonic stem cell research and the "morning after" pill.

Additionally, where heartbeat may seem relevant to some, brain activity may be the measure for another, and self-awareness may be the criteria for still others. Singling out heartbeat begs the question, "Why that attribute?" and opens the door for petty negotiations over the definition of "life."

The pro-life perspective is that life is not defined according to its appearance and performance, but, rather, is intrinsic to the new and distinct human being that comes into existence at conception.

"Abortion hurts women"

While it may be tactically effective to point out the personal, subjective drawbacks of having an abortion, the resulting emotional or physical impact on the mother is not the fundamental concern of the pro-life position. If this were not true, then we would have little to say to the woman considering a second abortion who has no (stated) ill effects from her first procedure. And it would be a downright embarrassment to our cause if some positive health benefit could somehow be linked to aborted pregnancies.

The objection to abortion relates to the effect that it has on the unborn child — it's lethal — and would stand regardless of how the mother is impacted by it (threat to her own life aside). Given the assumption of what we believe abortion represents, pandering to the concerns of the mother here is a bit like asking an armed robber not to pull a heist because it might keep him up at nights.

While it is certainly true that women tend to suffer long-term emotional damage from having had an abortion, this fact should not stand as a defense unto itself. It should be connected with the reason that this is so: that they intuitively know that they have murdered another human being — their own child, no less.

"I regret my abortion"

Planned Parenthood would prefer it otherwise, but it is important to note that many women later regret their "choice" due to bothered consciences, later education of all the options, or a transformed worldview. However, this does not constitute a principled argument against abortion. Simply because some women regret their abortions, it does not follow that all carefully considered abortions will be regretted. And what can be said against those women who stridently proclaim their pride and peace over their own abortions? While it may be the case that they are deluding themselves, psychologizing them will get us nowhere.

Again, the pro-life defense does not hinge on the effects of, or a woman's feelings toward, the procedure; it is the nature of the procedure itself that is at issue.

"Women deserve better than abortion"

And children deserve better than death! The problem is that this diverts attention away from the issue and back onto the needs of the woman, just as some of the above defenses do.

This statement seems to imply that there are other options besides abortion (which is certainly true), and that abortion is simply a second-rate choice that is unworthy of the woman. But if it indeed remains a valid choice, then who is to say that it is the wrong choice for any given woman? We may just as well claim that Baskin Robbins customers deserve better than vanilla ice cream.

We don't need to sell adoption or keeping the child as better choices; we need to make abortion an unthinkable choice.

"If Mary was pro-choice there would be no Christmas"

While this is striving to express the truth that the fetus is ontologically the same being as the adult it will become, framing the argument like this has problems on so many levels I don't know where to begin. Here are a few of its shortcomings:

• It begs for a response like, "If Hitler were aborted there would be no Holocaust."
  
• You cannot assume that your audience is Christian and would therefore care about Christmas, at least not as it is celebrated by Christians.
  
• If our concern is merely for the potential good that can come of having any particular child, then one might question the morality of limiting the size of your own family. If you've stopped at two kids, just think what the 3rd might have become!
  
• It may have been a bad thing to have lost Jesus (or force a do-over on God), but the objection to abortion does not depend on the realized potential of the child being aborted. Abortion would still have been wrong even if the child grows up to be an unremarkable person.
  
• This is just bad theology. Do you suppose God would have picked a "pro-choice" vessel, much less allow her to ignore what the angel had told her she was carrying and run off to the nearest pagan herbalist for an abortifacient?

On a positive note

But it's not all bad news for pro-life defenders. I did happen to run across a few relevant and well packaged arguments against abortion, aside from the more academic defenses.

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A few suggestions

While banners and picket signs do not offer much real estate for carefully reasoned arguments, I think there is room enough for improvement. Here are some slogans that occur to me, which more closely reflect the heart of the pro-life position.

• A "person" is not a label
  
• Life begins at conception, not consensus
  
• Why just the unborn? Why not "unwanted" toddlers too?
  
• It's not an appendix; it's a child
  
• Embryo, infant, toddler, teen: Just stages in the life of a being
  
• "Life" is not assigned when the mother's inclined
  
• A human doesn't become "me" by stage and degree
  
• I'm pro-choice too, as long as murder isn't one of 'em
  
• "Person" at birth? Just another way to say, "Out of sight, out of mind"
  
• You're just a lump of tissue too
  
• If personhood depends on mental capacity, then I should have more rights than you.
  
• If persons are just what we agree on, then we vote "conception"
  
• You say "birth," he says "self-awareness," she says "3rd trimester": so when does the "person" fairy come anyway?