The issue of abortion has been sparking controversy throughout the U.S. for decades, and has been a popular political topic since around the 1970’s. Being pro-choice is almost automatically associated with one specific political party, and being pro-life with the opposite political party. Because of how political this issue has become, and how adamant both sides are about their opinions, it can be hard for people from opposing sides to have a civilized discussion about it. Many of the same points are brought up over and over again, but many of the facts cited in arguments between the two sides are completely contradictory. When is the fetus truly a human being? A pro-lifer will say that human life begins at conception, while a pro-choicer would claim that the fetus isn’t human at all, and is only a ‘clump of cells’ or ‘part of their mother’s body.’ Pro-lifers and pro-choicers disagree on nearly every facet of the abortion issue. As a consequence of all the conflicting facts, neither side can agree on the morality of abortion, a procedure that ends the fetus’ or embryo’s life. I believe that abortions are immoral because they deprive a human being of his or her right to life, and must be reduced by teaching young women the importance of responsibility - both for taking the appropriate precautions with men pre-conception and for their unborn children post-conception. I will first speak about the basic stances on the issue of abortion. Secondly, I will speak about how science supports the embryo or fetus’ right to life, and how our Constitution corroborates it even further. Thirdly, I’ll speak about America’s opinion of abortion and abortion’s alternatives. Then, I’ll speak about young women’s unpreparedness to take on the responsibilities of motherhood. Lastly, I’ll speak about whether or not abortion can be considered healthcare.

Firstly, on the topic of abortion, the two most basic stances are pro-life and pro-choice. The stance I take on this issue is pro-life. I’m pro-life because I believe that all human lives are equally valuable, and that this stance is the most grounded in scientific fact and in our U.S. Constitution. According to Kirstie Piper in her article “Pro-Life and pro-Choice: What Does It Mean?”, being pro-life means that one holds “the belief that all human life is created equal regardless of size, level of development, education, and degree of dependency.” In the same article, Piper describes being pro-choice as holding “the belief that every woman should be endowed with the right to her own life and body.” However, Planned Parenthood, a well-known pro-choice organization, in their article titled “Can You Explain What Pro-Choice Means and pro-Life Means?”, says that being pro-choice means that one “believe[s] that everyone has the basic human right to decide when and whether to have children.” Piper’s definition of pro-choice and Planned Parenthood’s definition of pro-choice slightly differ from each other. Though they both refer to a woman’s right to have “bodily autonomy” when pursuing abortion, Piper focuses and places emphasis on the woman’s body, while Planned Parenthood places emphasis instead on a woman’s decision whether or not to have children. However, the decision of whether to have children should be made before the embryo or fetus’ life begins at conception. As Julianna Lee puts it in her article “I’m a pro-Life Woman and Student at Princeton. Here’s Where the pro-Life Movement Needs to Go Next”, “It may be a personal choice whether or not to have kids, but that choice must come before one is pregnant. Once new life has been formed, nobody has the right to deprive this being of its right to life… Thus, the mother’s right to choice ends where the child’s right to life begins.” This evidence only covers the basics of the two major sides of the issue. Next, I’ll expand on how scientific fact and our Constitution support the pro-life position.

Secondly, an induced abortion results in the unjust end of a human life, not just a potential human life. According to human embryology, the lives of embryos and fetuses are human lives, and they shouldn’t be treated like they are less valuable than their mothers or any other human being. Dianne Irving, in her article titled “When Do Human Beings Begin?”, explains the topic of whether an embryo or fetus is a human being. According to this article, once the egg cell and the sperm cell combine, the two cells become a single zygote. Once this has occurred, the zygote is scientifically a human being, with genes completely distinct from either of his or her parents. Irving continues by saying, “After fertilization, the single-cell human embryo doesn’t become another kind of thing. It simply divides and grows bigger and bigger,” and, “This new single-cell human being immediately produces specifically human proteins and enzymes…and genetically directs his/her own growth and development. (In fact, this genetic growth and development has been proven not to be directed by the mother.)” In the article, the fact is also mentioned that even while the embryo is only a single cell, he or she already has an assigned sex, and is already an individual. It clearly demonstrates that the embryo or fetus is a human being, and isn’t just part of the mother’s body. This disproves the notion that the mother somehow owns the embryo or fetus, and can choose to abort it at will. 

Irving also provides some background of the misinformation about embryos and fetuses, saying that authors unqualified to accurately speak about gestational life, like “...Peter Singer (a philosopher)...Helga Kuhse (an ethicist), Stephen Buckle (a philosopher) and Karen Dawson (a geneticist, not a human embryologist)...” were major influences on what people believed about whether fetuses or embryos held the human right to life. In fact, their work even served as reference for a national scientific report. “Oddly, the influential book by Singer, Kuhse, Buckle, and Dawson, Embryo Experimentation…along with the work of theologian McCormick and frog developmental biologist Grobstein, was used in the United States as the scientific basis for the 1994 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Embryo Research Report.” Irving explains that these people were whom the “pre-embryo” myth originated from. This myth claims that the “pre-embryo” doesn’t possess the right to life until a specific point in the pregnancy. What makes this a myth is that “pre-embryos” don’t exist. Immediately following conception, there are only human embryos, and they already possess the right to life. This evidence invalidates common arguments that are based on the myth that fetuses and embryos aren’t yet human, and so aren’t entitled to their own lives. It also proves that fetuses and embryos are human beings immediately following conception, and so have an inalienable right to life supported by the Constitution.

There are often instances where our American Constitution is brought into the debate over abortion. In these instances, there are arguments over whether the embryo or fetus’ right to life, which is directly supported by the Constitution, can be overridden by a woman’s implied right to abortion access through the implied right to privacy. In the article “Is Abortion a Constitutional Right?” Kaylee Cameron explains the supposed connection between the implied right to privacy and the right to abortion access. She says, “Justice Alito wrote in the Court’s majority opinion that Roe ‘was remarkably loose in its treatment of the constitutional text. It held that the abortion right, which is not mentioned in the Constitution, is part of the right to privacy, which is also not mentioned…’ But, acknowledging that it isn’t in the Constitution at all, Roe’s majority claims the right to privacy is ‘broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.’” The claim that the Constitution supports abortion through the implied right to privacy is weak, and shouldn’t be used as a justification for violating an embryo or fetus’ constitutional right to life under the 14th amendment. This right to life is directly stated in the Constitution, where the first section of the 14th amendment reads, “...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Cameron also reviews the outcome of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case, where the national legality of abortion was overturned and entrusted to each individual state. “In a 6-3 decision, the majority stated that Roe must be overruled due to the Court being ‘egregiously wrong’ and arguing points that were ‘exceptionally weak’ and so ‘damaging’ that they amounted to ‘an abuse of judicial authority’...They then returned the decision to elected state representatives and, in turn, the people.” In the article, Cameron quotes one of the Supreme Court judges, “[Justice Alito] goes on to say that ‘the Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely - the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.’” Cameron continues, saying, “The majority opinions in Roe and Casey even acknowledge that the Constitution doesn’t protect abortion as a ‘fundamental right.’”Abortion is unconstitutional, and any claim that it is would be based on a shaky foundation and supported only by inferences instead of clear links to the Constitution.

Thirdly, although America generally supports legalized abortion, there are better ways to deal with unplanned pregnancies. Abortion doesn’t have to be a woman’s solution to an unplanned pregnancy. There are support systems specifically for women to help them through their pregnancies and through motherhood. In Pew Research Center’s article titled “America’s Abortion Quandary”, America’s opinions of legalized abortion and potential solutions to high abortion rates is covered. The article states that, “As in the past, more Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances (61%) than illegal in all or most circumstances (37%),” and,  “…while nearly six-in-ten adults (57%) say they think stricter abortion laws would reduce the number of abortions performed in the United States, similar or larger shares say that increasing support for pregnant women (65%) expanding sex education (60%) and increasing support for parents (58%) would have the same effect.” The data shows that the majority of Americans believe that providing more support for parents and teaching them how to avoid unplanned pregnancies in the first place would reduce abortion rates. This would suggest that most Americans don’t believe that abortion is absolutely necessary, and that the need for the procedure would decline if parents were provided with better support. It also appears that the majority of Americans believe that there are other ways to relieve women of the burden that having a child would bring. Furthermore, many would argue that these alternatives are preferable to abortion, and that recommending abortion does women more harm than good. Julianna Lee, in her article “I’m a pro-Life Woman and Student at Princeton. Here’s Where the pro-Life Movement Needs to Go Next”, gives as an example, “...Erika Bachiochi, legal scholar and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, argues that abortion’s position in our society as the primary option for women allows companies to overlook other forms of support, such as flexible work schedules and better pay for part-time work.” One of the possible ways that women with unplanned pregnancies can find support are pregnancy resource centers. Lee gives an overview of how these centers can support women with unplanned pregnancies. “...pregnancy resource centers… operate free of charge and offer alternatives to abortion as well as services including OB ultrasounds, parenting classes, information about food resources, medical assistance, baby equipment, counseling, and more.”  Women, though abortion is often the first method they’re recommended, have no need to rely on it to deal with unplanned pregnancies. Instead, directing them to pregnancy resource centers where they can receive support helps women resolve the issue of being unprepared for motherhood without having to resort to abortion. However, one could also argue that simply teaching young women the importance of being responsible for taking precautions with men pre-conception would significantly reduce unplanned pregnancies, the most basic reason women seek abortions.

Fourthly, although women seek abortions for different reasons, nearly all of them center around the fact that many women are in some way unprepared to care for a child. The majority of abortions are performed because women aren’t well prepared for the responsibility of motherhood, not necessarily because they don’t want their child. According to the article “Understanding why women seek abortions in the US” from BMC Women’s Health, “The predominant themes identified as reasons for seeking abortion included financial reasons (40%), timing (36%), partner related reasons (31%), and the need to focus on other children (29%). Most women reported multiple reasons for seeking an abortion crossing over several themes (64%).” The article expands on the issues that fall under the “partner-related” category by stating, “Partner related reasons included not having a ‘good’ or stable relationship with the father of the baby (9%), wanting to be married first (8%), not having a supportive partner (8%), being with the ‘wrong guy’ (6%), having a partner who does not want the baby (3%), and having an abusive partner (3%).” The article expands on some of the “timing” issues by stating, “One in five women (20%) reported that they chose abortion because they felt a baby at this time would interfere with their future goals and opportunities in general (5%) or, more specifically, with school (14%) or career plans (7%). Usually the reasons were related to the perceived difficulty of continuing to advance educational or career goals while raising a baby…” All of these reasons, whether they be financial, timing-related, partner-related, or family-related, are linked to the fact that women seeking abortion feel unprepared to support and raise a child. Women choosing abortion do so because they, in various ways, are unprepared for the responsibility that caring for a child would entail. The data therefore highlights the importance of avoiding unplanned pregnancies, and the troubles they may cause, by making sure young women are taught to take precautions with men - before they conceive.

Pro-choicers commonly argue for legal abortion based on the grounds that it’s a form of healthcare; however, whether abortions truly are a form of healthcare and whether women use them as such is debatable. Many would argue that abortion is a fundamental part of women’s healthcare because of the threat pregnancy complications can pose to women. Along with the fact that life-threatening complications are rare, the statistics say that most women choose abortion for reasons unrelated to their personal health. According to the article “4 Common Pregnancy Complications” from John Hopkins Medicine, “Most pregnancies progress without incident. But approximately 8 percent of all pregnancies involve complications that, if left untreated, may harm the mother or the baby.” 8% is already a decently low rate, but this rate appears to include all complications, even those that won’t necessarily harm the mother if the specific condition is treated properly. Quoting the article “Understanding why women seek abortions in the US” from BMC Women’s Health, only “Twelve percent of respondents (12%) mentioned health-related reasons ranging from concern for her own health (6%), health of the fetus (5%), drug, tobacco, or alcohol use (5%), and/or non-illicit prescription drug or birth control use (1%).” As indicated by the statistics, the vast majority of women don’t turn to abortion as a life-saving measure, though many rely on this argument to justify its complete legalization. According to James Studnicki in his article “Late-term abortion and medical necessity: A failure of science” from Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology, in order for a treatment to be considered healthcare, it “must be required to prevent, diagnose, or treat an illness, injury, or disease…be clinically appropriate and considered effective for the individual illness, injury, or disease…[and not be] primarily for the convenience of the individual, the individual’s health-care provider, or other health-care providers.” Abortion doesn’t meet these criteria. The majority of abortions aren’t medically necessary to prevent, diagnose, or treat any illness, injury, or disease. Additionally, most abortions are for the mother’s convenience. This isn’t to say that women seek abortions for frivolous reasons, but women generally seek abortions in order to avoid sacrificing what they have in order to support a child. The argument that abortion should be legalized as a form of healthcare is inconsistent with its real definition. Furthermore, if abortion were to be used as actual healthcare, only a small minority of the women who seek abortions would receive them.

Most arguments pro-choicers use as support of legalized abortion are based on inaccuracies, and exaggerate the necessity of the procedure. Their hyperbolized arguments are easily refuted with statistics, and often don’t apply to the typical instance of abortion. Abortions are immoral because they deprive a human being of his or her right to life, and can and must be reduced by teaching young women the importance of responsibility - both for taking the appropriate precautions with men pre-conception and for caring for their unborn children post-conception. I first spoke about the basic stances on the issue of abortion. Then, I spoke about how human embryology supports the embryo or fetus’ right to life, and how our Constitution corroborates it even further. Thirdly, I spoke about America’s opinion of abortion and abortion’s alternatives. Next, I spoke about the unpreparedness of many women to take on the responsibilities of motherhood. Lastly, I spoke about the fact that the majority of abortions can’t be considered essential healthcare. Now with the facts clarified, I’d encourage you to share your knowledge with others. By debunking pro-choice misconceptions, you may inspire your family and friends to reconsider their support of abortion and their opinion on the morality of the procedure.