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Why does being pro-life tend to be associated with being religious?

Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
But called these groups pro-life, suggest those who don't agree must be anti-life, which is equally absurd.

In fact, though both sides of this issue resort to disingenuous oversimplication. The "woman's right to choose" glosses over the right to life of the foetus, just as the "pro-life" people gloss over the fact that it is a woman has to carry this parasitical being inside her and then sacrifice the next 20 years of her life to take care of it.

I gather you're pro-choice (correct me if I'm wrong). If the "woman's right to choose" argument is an oversimplification, what do you see as a valid argument for legalizing elective abortion?

How I see it is that even if one assumed the fetus were equal to a delivered baby in terms of rights (and during the majority of the pregnancy, I don't believe that to be the case), the woman's right to bodily autonomy would take precedence over any right the fetus had as long as the fetus was inside her body. If an adult could only survive via a kidney donation and another person refused to donate theirs, the latter would still have the right to their bodily autonomy.

I view the above as an argument that focuses on bodily autonomy without delving into whether a fetus has the same rights as a born person or not.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
I gather you're pro-choice (correct me if I'm wrong). If the "woman's right to choose" argument is an oversimplification, what do you see as a valid argument for legalizing elective abortion?

How I see it is that even if one assumed the fetus were equal to a delivered baby in terms of rights (and during the majority of the pregnancy, I don't believe that to be the case), the woman's right to bodily autonomy would take precedence over any right the fetus had as long as the fetus was inside her body. If an adult could only survive via a kidney donation and another person refused to donate theirs, the latter would still have the right to their bodily autonomy.

I view the above as an argument that focuses on bodily autonomy without delving into whether a fetus has the same rights as a born person or not.
To me, early abortion is little different from miscarriage, which frequently occurs naturally for a number of reasons when the pregnancy isn't going right or there is a genetic defect in the foetus. Inducing a miscarriage because the woman does not want the pregancy and/or the future child is little different, it seems to me. I think late abortion should be avoided.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
I do think “pro life” is a tendentious term. Who is “anti-life”, after all. What people mean is anti-abortion.
Anti-choice, IMO.

They often oppose programs that would reduce the number of abortions (e.g. proper sex ed, available contraception, proper job-protected parental leave). They also tend to support policies that would merely drive abortions underground instead of actually reducing their numbers.

Also, you can be anti-abortion without being anti-choice. Handing out condoms is an anti-abortion activity, for instance.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
Depends on the reason for seeking the abortion and the situation in that particular place.

One driver of demand for late-term abortions is a lack of availability of early-term abortion services. If someone lives in a country where abortion is illegal - or is being blocked from accessing abortion by a family member - this can take a while to sort out.

One of my friends had her husband leave her out of the blue when she was 6 months pregnant. As it happens, she decided to continue the pregnancy, but if she had decided to get an abortion the instant she was facing the prospect of being a single mother, how would that be reckless?
I wouldn't call those "elect" late-term abortions, they are forced by (changing) circumstances.
And I have forgotten/neglected to include exceptions for those circumstances. They are not as easily described as "danger to life of the pregnant person" or "severe damage of the fetus". Ideally, they shouldn't happen and decisions would have to be on a case by case basis.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
The problem here is that calling pro-life groups “anti-abortion” leads some to call pro-choice people “pro-abortion.” In fact, many who support legal choice (typically with restrictions) are in fact anti-abortion.
The people who call themselves "pro-life" aren't generally that anti-abortion.

These movements generally have little to no interest in any policies or actions that would reduce abortions unless they punish the pregnant person in some way.

If a measure would make pregnant people happier or better off, the "pro-life" crowd don't touch it, no matter how many abortions it would prevent.
 

Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
To me, early abortion is little different from miscarriage, which frequently occurs naturally for a number of reasons when the pregnancy isn't going right or there is a genetic defect in the foetus. Inducing a miscarriage because the woman does not want the pregancy and/or the future child is little different, it seems to me. I think late abortion should be avoided.

I agree, on both counts. Where I find that things get complicated is the question of where to draw the line legally; many different countries draw it at considerably different points in the pregnancy (as listed here). I have no definitive position on what the exact answer to that question should be, myself.

I think the most reasonable way to avoid abortion is generally through access to contraception, sex education, and other well-evidenced methods that don't involve highly restrictive legislation.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
I agree, on both counts. Where I find that things get complicated is the question of where to draw the line legally; many different countries draw it at considerably different points in the pregnancy (as listed here). I have no definitive position on what the exact answer to that question should be, myself.

I think the most reasonable way to avoid abortion is generally through access to contraception, sex education, and other well-evidenced methods that don't involve highly restrictive legislation.
Yes, just because it is hard to agree on what stage to draw the line does not mean it cannot be done, even if any given cutoff is somewhat arbitrary.

I certainly agree the best way to reduce the demand for abortions is better sex education for both sexes and easily availability of contraception.
 

☆Dreamwind☆

Active Member
Late term abortions are literally medical necessity, despite what forced birthers would try to have people believe.

The pregnancy was in fact wanted, but something went wrong. The baby died in the womb and needed to be removed, a genetic deformation was detected that would greatly impact the quality of life, or would cause it to die anyway, a newly diagnosed illness to the woman would make it dangerous for her to continue the pregnancy, or a bad injury occurred.

Early term abortions are best if people cannot carry safely due to health reasons, don't want kids but are denied tubal ligation, are too young to be having kids, don't want anymore kids, can't afford to have kids, or
don't feel like they are ready to have them right now. It can even be quickly and chemically induced.

Like, we do get what they're saying when they say they life is precious, but its very rare that they extend the same courtesy of listening to anyone who has had to have one.

No one with a working brain is going to be charmed by the fact that they have to lie, threaten, assault, bomb clinics, and slander women in order to feed their malicious propaganda.

None of them are gynecologists and most of them probably played hookie during biology, or had a very sheltered and strict religious upbringing. I've heard people admit that they thought early stage fetuses looked just like a microscopic baby until they finally looked at a development chart, and I was like :facepalm:

So where do they get off spouting nonsense that women can shut down their wombs during rape, that all miscarriages and D&C are abortion, and that ectopic pregnancies can be magically reimplanted? That's a whole other level of willful ignorance.
 

Tamino

Active Member
I think that was a comment on whether "having sex" would count as a contractual agreement on "potentially getting pregnant"... As in: if you have sex you take responsibility for the possible consequences... And that people who have sex are not necessarily in the right frame of mind to enter a formal contract
 

Tamino

Active Member
Portnoy's complaint. Almost right -- change "the wit" to the "brain" and "lies on the" to "buried in the."
Isn't "Seichel" either wit or brain?
But yeah, I was wondering about "ligt in der erd", because in German that would literally mean "lies in the earth" and I thought that "on" was more plausible. But if we translate "buried" the preposition fits.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
The real reason that anti-abortion people also tend to be religious is because people that believe in God tend to believe that we humans should not be playing God. That we do not have the right to decide who gets to be born and who doesn't. They are OK with killing murderers for two reasons, one is that the murderers are not 'innocent' and the other is that they believe their God told them that murderers should be put to death. So in the case of capital punishment, they believe that killing people is OK when we're doing it on God's behalf and as a part of God's judgment.
 
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