Killing is killing. This is the most common argument for why abortion should not come down to a woman’s choice, but should be legislated. It is incredibly sad that we have allowed our society to get to a point where the government must weigh in on almost everything in our personal lives. However, this is the monster we have created and we must deal with it. The fact is, abortion exists. The question is, should it and how many rights should the woman retain regarding abortion. Let’s start at the beginning.
So a woman gets pregnant. Perhaps the pregnancy is not planned for, but happens between two consenting and loving adults. Abortion is an option. So is adoption. Abortion, without equivocation, means killing the fetus. Killing the fetus of a human being. It is killing. And it is killing in order to absolve oneself of responsibility and to clean up an undesired mess. Do we really want to have this be a legal option? Some question whether the fetus is human yet. Are we serious here? In a dog, do we question whether the fetus in the dog’s womb is a dog yet? Nope. We see that it is a dog. Humans are different because of their ability to choose and their cognizant abiliities. Babies even after they are born do not yet have these abilities, yet we consider them human. So the argument that makes the definition of human fuzzy holds no water. None. Nor does it hold amniotic fluid. That is a person in there. Abortion means killing. So killing the fetus to divorce oneself from the responsibility of childcare or adoption, is killing for convenience. This kind of abortion deserves enthusiastic banning.
So a woman gets pregnant. However, perhaps this is a pregnancy that endangers the woman. Perhaps if the woman carries the fetus to term, her life and/or the baby’s life will be in danger. The woman is faced with a choice. Does she carry on with the pregnancy, or does she end it, choosing the safer route for her and/or her family? This is an area in which the woman should be allowed to choose. Why? Because her right to life as a human being is endangered by one who cannot yet choose. One for whom she is responsible. This is her choice and should be allowed by law. Again, if the woman’s life is in danger, the government has no business taking that decision from her.
So a woman gets pregnant. This time, however, it is through rape. This is a rough area. If the pregnancy is normal and healthy, does the woman get to choose between the life of the fetus and her? Tough call. This is another area in which the woman should choose.
But these final two instances are very much not the majority of the abortions in the world. By far, the majority of abortions today can be termed ‘abortions of convenience’ in that they are done for women who, in essence, don’t want the baby. Maybe they can’t afford the child. Maybe they are in high school. Maybe they want to have kids only inside wedlock. In all of these, the pregnancy is a result of that woman’s actions, and she should not be legally allowed to choose killing as a solution to her problems.