The abortion debate has been full of rhetoric on both sides, but those supporting the right to abortion have been especially good at throwing out clichés in this debate. The pro-life movement needs to be able to respond to pro-abortion rhetoric in an effective way.
One of the most frequent clichés is this: “Every woman has a right to control her own body.” We need to consider the four elements of this slogan. First are the words “every woman.” Half of the aborted fetuses are female, so abortion is not exactly pro-woman. So the cliché only applies to grown women seeking abortion, not to females in the womb who would grow up to be women if they were not aborted. Second is the statement “has a right.” Our legal system does not recognize an absolute right over one’s body. We do not allow someone the “right” to get drunk and then drive a car. We do not give people an absolute right to use dangerous drugs, to commit suicide, or to walk around without clothes. Third is the verb “to control.” If a woman wants to control her own body, she could have prevented the pregnancy before it happened. Abstinence is 100 percent effective. The final words are “her own body.” As already discussed, pregnancy means there are two bodies. In a sense the baby controls the mother’s body through various hormonal cues. The fetus would be rejected as foreign tissue if it were not for the placenta that creates an effective barrier between mother and child. The argument that a woman has a right to control her own body may sound good, but flaws emerge when we analyze it.
One of the most frequent clichés is this: “Every woman has a right to control her own body.” We need to consider the four elements of this slogan. First are the words “every woman.” Half of the aborted fetuses are female, so abortion is not exactly pro-woman. So the cliché only applies to grown women seeking abortion, not to females in the womb who would grow up to be women if they were not aborted. Second is the statement “has a right.” Our legal system does not recognize an absolute right over one’s body. We do not allow someone the “right” to get drunk and then drive a car. We do not give people an absolute right to use dangerous drugs, to commit suicide, or to walk around without clothes. Third is the verb “to control.” If a woman wants to control her own body, she could have prevented the pregnancy before it happened. Abstinence is 100 percent effective. The final words are “her own body.” As already discussed, pregnancy means there are two bodies. In a sense the baby controls the mother’s body through various hormonal cues. The fetus would be rejected as foreign tissue if it were not for the placenta that creates an effective barrier between mother and child. The argument that a woman has a right to control her own body may sound good, but flaws emerge when we analyze it.
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