Overcoming the Lies of Anti-Life Advocates
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On Friday June 24th the United States Supreme Court issued their ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Whole Woman’s Health case. The ruling struck down Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey sending abortion policy back to each individual state. In the days that have followed pro-abortion advocates have waged a propaganda campaign to frighten women and scare the public. Below, Ohio Right to Life answers some of the disinformation which has been circulating here in Ohio and across the nation.
1. Ectopic pregnancy, septic uterus, miscarriage treatment, and other life-saving measures
The Lie(s): The treatment for ectopic pregnancy, septic uterus, and miscarriages is an abortion. Now that Roe is overturned, women do not have access to these treatments- and they will die because of this. Even if ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion, this difference will cause confusion among doctors. As a result, women will lose time to get treatment and will be seriously injured or die.
The Truth: Abortion refers to the deliberate termination of a pregnancy which results in the death of a human child. The pro-abortion activists are purposefully conflating the medical and legal definitions of abortion and leaving out the very important fact that pro-life laws restricting abortion specifically exclude these life-saving procedures. Treatment for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages are legal, everywhere. Women still have full access to these life-saving measures if they are in danger. An elective abortion’s only goal is to end the life of the child. In the case of ectopic pregnancy, septic uterus, or miscarriage, the intention is not to kill the child but to save the life of the mother. The elective abortion procedure aimed at simply eliminating the child is entirely different from any of these other treatments. The idea that doctors will not understand the difference between these procedures is preposterous.
2. “Incompatible with Life”
The Lie(s): The child will die later, so out of mercy, the pregnancy should be ended. Pro-lifers want to force women to go through the horrible experience of watching their children suffer.
The Truth: Arguments like these are emotionally charged and are not logical. While we can fully recognize the pain and agony of a situation regarding a child who may suffer, it is vitally important to remember that it is never okay to kill an innocent human life. We don’t “put down” humans like we do our pets. It is not merciful to kill people because they are disabled, and it is never right to kill someone because they are medically vulnerable. When a toddler, teenager, or someone even at the end of their life is suffering, we try to get them the best medical care available, and we walk with them through their pain. The same compassion should be shown to every unborn child and every expectant mother. Again, the solution to difficult circumstances can never be taking an innocent human life.
3. The “Pro-Birth” argument
The Lie: Pro-life supporters do nothing for women once they have given birth. They do not actually care about helping a child and his mother live a full and happy life.
The Truth: The pro-life movement has historically and consistently taken up the cause of caring for mothers, fathers, and babies. With nearly 3,000 pregnancy centers in our country and over 100 right here in Ohio, our pro-life pregnancy resource centers provide numerous types of care for women well beyond birth. To see more, click here. With that said, even if someone was solely advocating against the murder of children in the womb and nothing else, that is a moral good! It is honorable to be against killing innocent lives. Just because you are against one atrocity does not mean that you now have to pick up the mantle of every single injustice. In no other cause of justice is the same logic applied. For example, no one goes to food banks or homeless shelters and asks them what they are doing to end war, capital punishment, or sex trafficking. In short, we should all be pro-birth and against murder.
4. Other Conservative Stances
The Lie(s): Because of other conservative stances (such as healthcare, gun control, immigration laws, etc.), pro-life supporters do not actually care about human life. They no longer care about human dignity once a child is born.
The Truth: This is skirting around the actual issue of abortion. Abortion is the intentional killing of a child in the womb. These posts are using a logical fallacy known as a “whataboutism” or a “red herring.” This tactic is used to redirect the attention away from the actual question to another subject. They ignore the issue at hand and make assumptions about what the pro-life supporter believes in other issues. Without the right to life, all other social justice issues are null and void. You cannot have the right immigrate, access good education, or health care without first establishing the right to live. Even if the child faces other difficulties in their life (such as poverty or a disability), this is still never a reason to kill them. Furthermore, not all pro-life supporters are conservative. To see an example of those who support liberal policy and are simultaneously pro-life, click here.
5. Ending Abortion is ineffective, Outlawing Abortion won’t stop it
The Lie: Making abortion illegal will not stop it from happening. It will just make abortions more difficult, dangerous, and deadly for women.
The Truth: It is true that crimes still happen despite them being illegal, however, that is not a justifiable reason to allow them to happen. A society’s statutes are a direct representation of their values and any healthy society’s laws should recognize that which is true, good, and beautiful for the common good—first and foremost recognizing the right to life. Furthermore, no abortion is ever safe. Every abortion ends an innocent human life, meaning we as a society have the duty to stop this from happening.
6. Loss of Fundamental Rights for Women
The Lie: Women have lost a privacy right and the right to bodily autonomy.
The Truth: We agree that women have a right to their own bodies. The issue of abortion though involves two bodies, not just one. The child, while in its mother, is not the woman’s body. The pre-born are separate human persons with their own distinct DNA. So we repeat, the child’s body is not the mother’s body. The most important choice we need to talk about when it comes to our bodies today is when and where we are having sex. Sex has not only a unitive purpose, but a procreative one as well—it’s literally how our bodies are designed—to produce new human life. Once a woman is pregnant, there are two bodies we must be concerned about.
Now, some may bring up the issue of sexual assault, or rape and incest. They may ask, “what about these cases in which the mother did not choose to have sex?” No doubt, these are horrific crimes, and we must empathize with this trauma. However, you do not heal one trauma, by adding another—an abortion—on top of it. The solution to a tragic situation can never be the taking an innocent human life. The child is not responsible for the circumstances in which they were conceived. They should not have to pay the punishment for the crimes of their father.
7. The “Pro-Forced Birth” Argument
The Lie(s): Women are seen by the pro-life movement as only vessels for birth. Pro-life is cruelly forcing women to have birth and carry children against their will. Consent to sex is not consent to pregnancy.
The Truth: When discussing this issue, sex and procreation cannot be divorced from one another. While there are many things one can do to prevent pregnancy from happening, there is still always a chance that a new life will be created. Consent to sex is consent to pregnancy. The creation of new life is a biological and natural result of sex. Pro-life advocates are not forcing any woman to engage in the act of sex with a man to procreate. We are simply stating that once reproduction has taken place, a new life has been created. You should not kill that new unique human being.