Murder (Noun) The unlawful killing of another human being by another
So firstly, is a fetus a human in the womb? Some might say that life starts at conception, but I disagree. I, personally, think that life starts only once the baby is born and has actually taken a breath. A fetus cannot survive outside of the womb up until a certain point. That point is 6 somewhere in between 6 - 7 months. At that point, an abortion could potentially be illegal. That’s just a way of appeasing the pro lifers, to try and please everyone.
When you think about it, at its core, a fetus/embryo (Or a zygote for biological terms at conception) is basically just a clump of cells undergoing a reaction and evolving. The cells start off as one which goes through mitosis to create two, and then that creates, four, and so on, until they differentiate. One could argue that all animals do that, but it doesn’t make sense. When a fetus does it, it is growing new parts. When we do it, we’re simply healing and generating new cells. There’s a difference. A fetus cannot feel pain, does not have an opinion, and does not have any thought processes.
When it’s conceived, and when it’s developing, a fetus could technically be considered a part of the mother. It’s using nutrients from her body, using her body as a host, and so on. Even after birth it still uses her body (Breastmilk).
Religion’s Role
Compare two countries that use religion a lot. Christianity (USA) and Islam (UAE). In Christianity, no matter the circumstance, be it a woman’s life is in danger, or the fetus will be born with fatal deformities, an abortion is murder. However in Islamic countries (UAE for example), an abortion is justified if the mother’s life is endangered by the pregnancy or if the fetus will be born with fatal deformities. When you look at the religious aspect of things, you can’t just look at one. You have to look at multiple.
How Can A Fetus Possibly Consent?
A fetus can’t. A fetus can’t consent, but you’ve also got to consider that at the same time, it can’t ask for anything. If we’re bringing consent into this, then wouldn’t a fetus need to consent to the mother taking vitamin supplements? Vitamin supplements can affect the fetus’s development. So can alcohol and smoking. Doesn’t the fetus need to consent to the mother drinking and smoking too? How does it possibly make sense?
What About Adoption?
Adoption is not a solution. There are thousands of children in foster care, and 25% - 40% of them are abused. If a woman got an abortion instead of condemning a child to a life of foster care where they’re more likely to be abused than adopted, which one is more morally correct? In 2019, only 26% of children in foster care were adopted, and that number has been steadily decreasing, with the abuse rates increasing. Not to mention, studies show that youth in foster care are two and a half times more likely to contemplate suicide than youth not in foster care. If abortion is murder, if it does take a life, all it does is speed up the process. If a woman gives birth to a child and puts them up for foster care, only for them to kill themselves 10 -15 years later, thinking that they’re unloved, what’s the difference? You’re still condemning them to death. So pro lifers need to ask, which is better? Foster care or abortion?
Whose Choice Is It Really? The Fetus’s Or The Mother?
We need to ask, why is it that an unborn human being has more rights than a human being with family, friends, a job, people they love, etc.? Why does bodily autonomy apply for one person instead of both? In the end, who is more affected? If the fetus is aborted, what does it lose? Emotionally? The fetus has no friends, no emotional connections, etc. The mother on the other hand has everything to lose. If she can’t financially support a child, what happens? She could end up on the streets. What about emotional support? The child will end up with a distant parent. In the end, the topic of abortions affects the women more than the fetus.
Where to start with this?
Firstly, men who say "Women who were irresponsible enough to be pregnant need to take responsibility." are idiots. A man helps to create a baby too. By that logic, a man should take responsibility for a baby too. If a woman is forced to raise a child that she doesn't want, then a man shouldn't be allowed to leave her while she's pregnant. And the quote "Women who were irresponsible enough to be pregnant need to take responsibility." doesn't even begin to touch on the topic of women who were raped, women who's partners slipped the condom out halfway through, women who's birth control failed. What if a woman's life is at risk with the pregnancy? Women have a heartbeat too. And people who say that women can just get their tubes tied are big fat uneducated morons.
Women have had experiences when they went to have their tube tied where their healthcare provider would ask things like "Oh, but what about your husband?" "Are you married?" "What if your husband wants kids?" "What if you regret it?" and are told things like "You're too young." "You'll regret it.". There are so many obstacles standing in the way of women trying to get their tubes tied compared to men getting a vasectomy. When women get their tubes tied, there are also hormonal side effects. When men get a vasectomy, there's NO hormonal side effects. But the hormones side of things is just basic biology, there's no arguing that. But, for whatever reason, birth control is pushed onto women. It only takes 24 hours to recover from a vasectomy whereas it takes 1 - 3 weeks to recover from getting your tubes tied. And yet, men will refuse vasectomies but pressure women to get their tubes tied or get a hysterectomy. And if a woman is pregnant, people only care while the baby is in her womb.
People don't care about the baby once a woman gives birth. A prime example of this is how pro lifers push for abortions to be banned because "A fetus is a human." And "Abortions are murder.". Like, bitch, a fetus is a ball of cells. They don't even have pain receptors until the fourth month of pregnancy. And how are abortions murder? And you only care about the baby while it's in the womb. Once it's out, you don't give a shit. If all lives matter, what about the black lives? What about the thousands of kids in foster care who are being raped and abused daily? No one bats an eye. If you really think all lives matter, then you should also help kids in foster care and homeless people. What about the people who can't afford a hospital or treatment for something such as cancer? What about them?
My opinion is: Abortions should be made widely accessible to women. It should be a woman's choice if she gets an abortion or not. She should not be denied basic healthcare.
What's your take on this? Do you think that they're murder? Do you think women should be allowed abortions? I want to know what you think. Tell me in the comments.