By Ishaan Palsule
My name is Ishaan. I am Pro-Choice. I firmly disagree with anyone who is not so.
This Op-Ed will explore biological, religious, social, and other standpoints on why allowing women the right to choose should be the standard in a society, rather than the expectation. Criminalizing and condemning abortions only serve to perpetuate inherently sexist and misogynistic institutions.
To first grasp this topic of debate, one must identify what exactly constitutes as a human. Is a day-old zygote human? Or is it human once it comes out of the womb? Due to this, there are some complex viewpoints on this. Some regard a fetus as being human after the third trimester of pregnancy, while others argue it begins at conception. I believe that a baby is human at birth.
This is the time when a fetus, now a baby, enters our society. It changes from being a “what” to becoming a “who” that is physically independent of its mother. The idea that childbirth merely involves moving from one figurative room to another is false since it involves a social agency. Birth is an extremely dangerous transition between fetus and newborn life, not just a simple movement. The lungs must be able to function, and the first breath changes the heart’s anatomy as well. Of course, the head must pass through the birth canal. Any stage of a fetus before all this can not be considered human, and thus, in my opinion, can be aborted.
While the development of a zygote begins at the event of fertilization, it cannot and must not be regarded as human. Would we consider a clump of cells to be a person? With the same rights as one? It is an absurd position to even consider. Comparing someone to mere cells is not only undignifying, but it is also morally and ethically wrong. No matter how you look at it, treating a person, with their own feelings, hopes, motivations, and relationships, at the same level as this: is an erroneous flaw in today’s way of thinking.
To put this into perspective, imagine that a building is burning. Inside that building, there are 30 of these cells on one side of the building and a woman on the other. What or who do you try to save?
The woman. Every time.
Religion is also a major factor when it comes to abortion. Abortion can affect religious people spiritually, and they seek their faith for comfort. Despite this, surprisingly enough, Christianity tends to lean towards Pro-Choice over Pro-Life. According to Genesis 9:16, those who kill the image of God must also be killed. Exodus 21:22 states that if a man causes a woman to miscarry, he is not slain but must pay a fine to the lady’s family that is decided by the court. This scripture specifically discusses what killings are murder and what killings are not murder. Therefore, the fetus does not bear God’s likeness, and thus abortion is not murder, at least in the eyes of Christianity.
Finally, to tackle the issue of abortion being ableist. While aborting a fetus because of a disability may inherently cause some to shift the blame to ableism, one must also consider the fact that a mother (especially if abortion was denied to them) may simply not be able to provide the extra care a child with a disability needs.
We live in a world that denies abortion (and other contraceptives) to those who actually need them by those who don’t. It is not progressive. Not allowing women the same freedom as men is unjust and misogynistic. This is why being pro-choice should be the only option today.
This article not only reflects my views, but it also aims to change yours too. The more people that are pro-choice and believe freedom should be for everyone, not just men, the closer we are to gender equality. But even that is the bare minimum.