There’s been a lot of sharing on social media about the recent news in the United States of potentially overthrowing Roe v. Wade (the Supreme Court case which resulted in abortion being legalized).
Personally, I don’t think abortion is good.
I also don’t think laws written with the intention of keeping minorities in poverty are good (as some have those motives).
I also think we are all children of God and have our agency, or free will to choose. Not all things I think are immoral should necessarily be illegal. I personally don’t drink alcohol and I don’t think that doing so is good. But would I support prohibition? Definitely not. Our nation has already seen that such laws don’t work and in fact, can often exacerbate the issue.
Although I have what seems like a straddled view on abortion, I do have some fundamental beliefs which guide me. I also think that there a lot of motives at play in this subject. It was helpful for me to reread the article on abortion written by my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:
“Human life is a sacred gift from God. Elective abortion for personal or social convenience is contrary to the will and the commandments of God…Church leaders have said that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But even these circumstances do not automatically justify an abortion. Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer.” (Gospel Topics, “Abortion” italics added).
For me, the question I ask myself is not (directly) whether abortion should be legal or illegal. The real (and for me moral as well) questions are “What actions or policies would result in the least number of abortions performed? And which actions or policies would do so while empowering women?”
Women are empowered and when they are:
- educated
- given easily accessible birth control
- able to make informed medical and other decisions on their own
Women are disempowered when they are:
- ignorant about bodily functions, especially their own
- unable to access reasonable means of birth control, especially when they have no other options
- are forced to choose one way without having opportunities for another way
It’s also helpful for me to list common ground, since this can be such a decisive topic. Here are some things I think we can all agree on — at least if we are sincere that we care equally for fetuses, babies, and the women who bear them:
- generally speaking, the majority of abortions performed are the result of unwanted pregnancies
- sex education is crucial to lowering the number of unwanted pregnancies, and therefore abortions
- providing accessible and affordable birth control is key to preventing unwanted pregnancies, and therefore abortions
- making something illegal does not necessarily make it stop happening; sometimes this just means it happens in an unregulated way
- abortion and raising the child yourself are not the only two options; there are many good people who really want to have children and would if they could. Adoption should be easy (legally & logistically)