Many times when pro-lifers are asked "why don't you support abortion" they usually take a religious approach. They'll say things like "abortion is a sin and you'll go to hell for doing so." As a result, pro-lifers are often seen as over-religious extremists. While I agree that abortion is wrong, there are many different approaches you can take that do not involve religion. I could rant about how some choices are bad and how you're killing a living thing, but that approach has been taken millions of times, so I'm not going to rant about that, even though the main reason I'm pro-life is because I think abortion is murder. Very rarely do people talk about how abortion can be bad for women's rights. How can it be bad for women's rights? you may think. I thought abortion was a woman's right. While it can liberate women and give them the choice to do whatever they want with their bodies, it can also be harmful to them. There are many reasons why.
First of all, let's go back in time. No, not literally, I don't have a time machine. Anyway, abortion did not start out as a feminist issue. In fact, a long time ago, abortion was considered anything but feminist. It didn't only kill the baby, but the mother almost always died because of it. So why would a woman want to do that back in those days when it was basically suicide? Well, the truth is, very few women wanted to get abortions, but did so because men pressured them into doing so. There are many common myths people use to make abortion seem like it's a right. People make it seem like liberation, but really, abortion hurts women rather than helps them. Women who have abortions usually regret them later on. Early feminists such as Susan B. Anthony were pro-life for these very reasons (as well as the fact that they thought it was a bad thing to do). So how did it come to be that you absolutely had to be pro-choice to be a feminist? Well, it gives women the right to choose what to do with their bodies. But it can also be bad for women's rights.
Many times women feel like if they unexpectedly get pregnant, the responsible thing to do would be to get an abortion. They don't consider other alternatives, such as adoption or doing counseling during the pregnancy. I do not hate women who get abortions, but I am furious at the people who encourage them to do so. A woman should never have to feel that she needs to get an abortion. Just because abortion is legal doesn't mean you absolutely need to get one.
I was reading an advice column, and one of the questions was something along the lines of "I'm a teenager, and I just found out that I'm pregnant. Should I get an abortion, keep the baby, or give it up for adoption?" This was one of those advice columns where more than one person could give you advice. Some people said that she shouldn't get an abortion, and some said it was her choice. Some people also said that she should get an abortion, and they said it like it was no big deal. This made me very upset. Like I said, a woman should never have to feel that she must get an abortion. I mean, if her life was in danger, that's one thing, because it would basically be self-defense. And generally, both the woman and the baby die when the woman's life is in danger during pregnancy and it is not treated. But even still, it's her choice.
I do not look down on women who get abortions. As a matter of fact, sometimes I feel sorry for them because they don't always have proper guidance. The reason many women get abortions is out of fear. Even worse, people don't offer them other options, such as counseling and giving the baby up for adoption afterwards.
I'll give you an example. I read on the Wikipedia that one of my favorite singers got an abortion. I lost some respect for her, because as you know, I am highly against it. But after talking to my mom and thinking about it, I realized that maybe people didn't offer her other options and that no one was there to help her. She unexpectedly got pregnant and was terrified of giving birth, so I can kind of understand why. I'm not saying she did the right thing, but I choose to be compassionate and merciful rather than hate her and never listen to her music again.
Women are even forced into getting abortions. A woman might get raped, and the abuser will force her into killing her baby. Being pro-choice is one thing, but forcing women into getting abortions is not a good thing, and is definitely not pro-choice. Being pro-choice means that you think a woman should choose to do whatever she wants with her body, while being pro-abortion means that you think abortion is a good thing. Very few people are pro-abortion, but I will not tolerate those who are.
I do not have a problem with people who think abortion should be legal. In fact, this essay didn't say very much about whether or not I think abortion should be legal, mostly just about the problems with abortion. However, I hate it when people act like abortion is "no big deal." People will say things like "abortion is totally okay, the babies aren't even alive." First of all, the babies are alive. Maybe they're not fully developed, but an unborn baby is a human life. Then there's the whole "it's not a baby" thing. Um, if it's not a baby, then why the flip are they complaining about being pregnant? Second of all, deciding whether or not you should get an abortion is not like deciding whether you should wear a red shirt or a blue shirt. Getting an abortion is much easier said than done, and I think people would make better decisions regarding abortion if they knew that. I know that if I got an abortion (even in cases of rape or incest), I would probably feel like a murderer for the rest of my life. I am very afraid of getting pregnant and giving birth because I hear it's painful, but I think I'd be even more afraid of feeling like a horrible evil murderer for the rest of my life.
Of course, carrying a baby around for nine months is also easier said than done. One of the main reasons I think abortion should be legal in cases of rape is because it would totally suck to have to carry around a baby you didn't want to have. I mean, if you're going to have sex with someone, you have to keep in mind that you might accidentally get pregnant, even if you use birth control. I'm not saying married couples should abstain if they don't want to have kids right then and there, but they should be very very careful if they don't want kids right at that moment.
Some people seem to be so pro-choice that they don't care about women; they just care about justifying their liberal political views. If an abortion clinic was letting pimps get away with teen prostitution, then (judging what many pro-choicers say when they hear about the whole thing about Planned Parenthood doing that) chances are, many pro-choicers may deny it because they support that particular abortion clinic. The thing is, many abortion doctors are probably trying to make money rather than be all "feminist."
I was reading an article about a woman in Colorado who was pregnant. She was supposed to get a pill for her pain, but the guy gave her an abortion pill by accident. Luckily, the baby didn't die, but it was still pretty sad. I was looking through the comments, and the first thing this one person said was "I hope the person who wanted the abortion pill got it." Really? After reading an article about a woman who was excited to have a baby who thought her baby would die, all you can think about is the woman who wanted the abortion pill??? This, my friends, is an example of being so pro-choice that you don't even care about women.
My dad told me that some people think that the law should require the testing and abortion of babies with disabilities. This makes me very sad, because I have Asperger's Syndrome, my brother is autistic, and my very best friends both have ADHD. Besides, sometimes these so-called "disabilities" may not even be much of a disability. Many famous, intelligent, well-respected people have certain disabilities, and their "disabilities" may even be part of their success (for example, autism tends to make people fixate on topics, and if someone tries really really hard at what they're interested in, there's a good chance they may be successful in that area). Even still, requiring the abortion of babies with disabilities is just another form of discrimination against people with disabilities. I mean, making abortion legal is one thing, but requiring it is just flat-out wrong. But even though it's not required, when babies are diagnosed with Down Syndrome, 90% of the time women will have abortions. This still makes me very sad. I mean, you can always give them up for adoption! There are people who are willing to adopt kids with disabilities.
You may have heard that in China, there are laws about how many kids you can have. Parents almost always want to have a boy, so the mother might abort her baby if she finds out it's a girl. This is clearly not feminist at all. I mean, killing a baby because of its gender? What's going to happen next? Is there going to be some sort of test to determine whether a fetus is going to be gay or not? China has a huge problem with population and stuff, but seriously, you can always give the poor kid up for adoption.
Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. I may continue when my brain is working with a more typical philosophical argument against abortion.
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