Get the Facts Before You Decide
Reasons people do and don’t support abortion
Arguments for abortion get repeated all the time. They sound logical, but would an adult make these statements? Let’s look at some ideas out there and contrast them with alternatives.
Some say: “It’s my body, so it’s my choice!”
OTHERS SAY: If the preborn child is just a part of her mother’s body (like an organ) or growing on her mother’s body (like a tumor), this rhetoric might make sense. However, the reality is that from the moment of fertilization, the child in the womb possesses her own individual, complex genetic makeup, separate from her mother’s DNA. A preborn child is definitely not a part of the mother’s body – she is her own self, with her own body.
Some say: “It’s just a blob of tissue.”
OTHERS SAY: Simple tissue does not have a beating heart, brain waves, fingerprints, or unique DNA. Medical science shows that human life begins at fertilization. “The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote.”1 After fertilization, nothing new is added to the person except oxygen, nutrition, and time.
Some say: “But the child won’t have a good quality of life.”
OTHERS SAY: Having an abortion to end a person’s life, rather than bringing a child into a difficult family situation is strange logic. We have not (yet) legalized killing toddlers living in unhealthy environments. Instead, we try to help these children and their families. Many organizations offer help for expecting mothers. Moreover, for each child who is adopted, approximately 36 couples are waiting, hoping and praying for a chance to adopt.
Some say: “But the baby has a fetal deformity.”
OTHERS SAY: Abortion for fetal deformities is discrimination against disabled people. This can lead to eugenics or working to remove unwanted traits from society by preventing the reproduction of those deemed weak or unfit. Studies show that for prenatal Down Syndrome diagnosis, 84%-92% of those babies will be aborted.2,3,4,5 This happens despite waiting lists of people wanting to adopt special needs children.
Some say: “I’m personally opposed to abortion, but wouldn’t tell someone else not to do it.”
OTHERS SAY: What if our nation’s founders said they were “personally opposed to slavery” but never stood up against it? African Americans might never have been recognized as persons deserving freedom and respect. Should children in the womb be slaves to the life and death decisions of others?
Some say: “It’s about women’s rights.”
OTHERS SAY: If it’s all about “women’s rights,” why do 64% of women report feeling coerced or forced into their abortions?6 Another study shows homicide as the leading cause of death among pregnant women.7 Additionally, over 100 million girls in this world were never born due to sex-selective abortions.8,9 We have come too far to reduce a woman’s “right” to mean the right to kill her own child. Shouldn’t we protect the rights of ALL women, including girls in the womb?
Some say: “I don’t care, it’s still MY right.”
OTHERS SAY: If a child in the womb is a developing human being, should another person really have the right to “kill” her? Abortion is a violent act (see pages 12 and 13). Does a pregnant woman have the right to dismember a child inside her body? Is it okay for a doctor to suck the baby out of the womb with a machine? Society shouldn’t encourage anyone to engage in this type of extreme violence.
