How To Respond To the Most Common Pro-Choice Arguments – Part 2
28 Mar, 2023
In the first part of this series, we covered some of the most common pro-choice arguments presented in support of abortion. In this blog, we will highlight four more prevalent arguments and provide key information that will equip and prepare you to conduct impactful dialogue with those who are pro-abortion or who simply are unaware of what abortion truly entails.
1.) “What about when a woman is pregnant due to rape?”
In addition to “my body, my choice” (which we covered in the first blog), rape is probably the second most prevalent argument utilized in support of abortion. It is true that sexual assault is an absolutely heinous, horrible crime and those who commit this act should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
If you ask someone where they stand on the abortion issue, chances are they will list rape as a reason abortion should not be banned. However, it is important to note that only 1% of all abortions occur due to rape. And even in these cases, nearly 40% of women who conceive in rape choose life for their babies.
Furthermore, there are several states, like Georgia, Utah, Oklahoma and Mississippi, that have placed restrictions on abortion with the exception of rape and incest. The only requirement is that the woman must make a police report prior to obtaining an abortion.
Countless women who have been victims of sexual assault have shared their experiences. Jennifer Christie, a woman who conceived a child after being a victim of rape, said, “I was told… ‘if you just have an abortion, everything will be okay, and you’ll forget. If you just abort, then you can move on.’ There is no forgetting. No woman is ever going to forget what happened to her … My son is a reminder every day that as women, we can rise above our circumstances. My son is a reminder that love is always stronger than hate, and that who we are as human beings is not determined by how we were conceived.”
After Ashley Sigrest was sexually assaulted, she found out she was pregnant and was convinced abortion was the best option for her to be able to heal and move on. However, she later realized that was not the truth: “I could never, ever deal with my rape, because I was so focused on what I had done in choosing abortion … the abortion just makes the rape 1,000 times worse. Because now you have these two horrible events that you have to deal with.”
Ryan Bomberger, a man who was conceived in rape, said, “You are reading my words today, because my birth mom didn’t end my life. Despite being a victim of rape, she did not make me a victim of abortion. For that, I’m eternally grateful. I couldn’t control the circumstances of my conception. Nobody can … I wouldn’t exist if my birth mom had chosen abortion, so I choose to fight to protect women from a predatory abortion industry that exploits tragedy and profits from fear. To the birth mom I never met, thanks for giving me life.”
Bomberger went on to become the founder and CEO of The Radiance Foundation, an educational and life-affirming non-profit organization dedicated to creating and encouraging a culture that believes every human life has a purpose.
Our society is failing women. By convincing women that ending the life of their pre-born baby is the only way they can move on from the horrible event that happened to them, instead of feeling supported, these women feel lost, devastated, and even more without hope than they were prior to the abortion.
These are extremely difficult topics to talk about, but they are also the most prevalent reasons given in advocacy for abortion. As a society, we need to foster an environment where we can lift these women and their children up and offer them the true support and healing they need. At Your Options Medical, we have a post-abortion support program called Hope Rising. If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault and has had an abortion, we are here to offer you hope, healing, and support. Contact us to learn more.
2.) “It’s not right to bring a child who isn’t wanted into the world.”
Recently, there has been a rise in people using the argument: “Having a baby who isn’t wanted will ultimately place them within the foster care system, where they will be mistreated and abused.”
The truth is, while there are terrible circumstances of children being abused and mistreated in the foster care system, there are also countless stories of success with children finding loving families and homes. A second chance.
Ryan Bomberger has a wonderful story of being adopted from foster care by a loving family and he is a huge advocate for adoption: “There are about 191,000 [evangelical churches]. If one family out of every three of those evangelical churches adopted a child out of the foster care system, there would be no children waiting on that list … There are so many things churches can do to change our culture to embrace a biblical perspective on life.”
In fact, Bomberger is not the only one encouraging churches to step up to the plate. There are churches nationwide and even local churches in Massachusetts calling Christian families to prayerfully consider becoming foster parents and/or adopting out of foster care.
Every child deserves a loving home where they can belong. If their biological mother chooses not to parent, that does not mean the only other option has to be abortion. To say that pre-born children should be aborted simply for being “unwanted” by their biological parents denies them the chance to find another family who would welcome them in with loving arms.
It is true that our foster care system is deeply flawed and in need of improvement. However, abortion is not the solution and the two subjects are completely unrelated. Instead of insisting that aborting “unwanted” children is the only way to mollify the foster care issue, our society should instead focus on how we can improve the system. Dr. Alveda King once wisely said: “Jesus fed the poor. Jesus didn’t kill the poor – so aborting babies is not going to help poverty.” If women and families are struggling financially, then we need to focus on offering them the support they need to be able to successfully parent their children.
This article from Focus on the Family states, “The purpose of foster care is to protect children and make sure they are in a safe and loving home. Through this process, the birth parents are supported and encouraged to take positive steps toward the goal of reunification. They are not relinquishing their child to the system. They are working towards a goal.” When reunification with their biological family is not possible, the next option would be to find another loving family through adoption. Ensuring that these are the standards across all foster care centers should be the priority – not abortion.
Lastly, adopted children and children in foster care are not unwanted. God knit each and every child in their mother’s womb and He knew them before they even came into being (Psalm 139:13). Every child is beloved, wanted, and deserves to be cherished.
3.) “Abortion is a safe, medical procedure that is easy and painless.”
Those who are pro-abortion will often declare that the procedure is completely safe. In this article, Planned Parenthood refers to abortion as “a very safe procedure … In fact, abortion is one of the safest medical procedures out there.”
Contrary to their statement, studies show that complications with abortion procedures are significantly underreported, and yes, by Planned Parenthood themselves. In an article released by Live Action, a series of undercover phone calls revealed that Planned Parenthood was not being forthcoming in explaining the abortion procedure risks and attempting to cover up the medical emergencies that occurred within their centers after abortion procedures caused severe complications.
The article states: “Two months after a failed abortion took the life of 24-year-old Tonya Reaves and her preborn baby, Planned Parenthood showed it had little regard for the safety of its clients and continued to lie and mislead the public about the dangers of abortion and the health and safety record of its own clinics.”
To listen to some of these undercover phone calls, click the video below:
It is not just surgical abortion procedures that can come with severe and even deadly risks and side effects. The abortion pill is also touted as the “safe, at-home abortion.” “An easy, effective, and painless way to end a pregnancy.” Click here to learn more about the dangers of the abortion pill.
As of April 7th 2023, a federal judge halted the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first drug used in the abortion pill process called, mifepristone. The judge ruled that the prescribing of the abortion pill by telemedicine, by mail, or through retail pharmacies is unlawful. If taken into effect, this would ban the sale of the abortion pill as we know it throughout the United States. Massachusetts Governor, Maura Healey’s response is to “stockpile” the abortion pill. Gov. Healey has also issued an executive order stating that the 2022 Shield Law would protect the sale and dispensing of mifepristone throughout the Commonwealth. Read the full press release here.
To learn more about the serious complications that can come with the abortion pill, read our blog here.
4.) “Life begins after birth, not from the moment of conception.”
Dr. Alfred M. Bongioanni, who was a professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University of Pennsylvania, stated:
“I have learned from my earliest medical education that human life begins at the time of conception…. I submit that human life is present throughout this entire sequence from conception to adulthood and that any interruption at any point throughout this time constitutes a termination of human life.”
In fact, Dr. Bongioanni is not alone in this declaration. Scientists and physicians have stated that human life begins at the moment of fertilization – when the sperm and egg fuse together. Professor Hymie Gordon of Mayo Clinic also stated, “By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception.”
Live Action has a great picture of why life begins at fertilization:
“Consider those who create life: whether a human being is created inside a lab via in vitro fertilization, or whether someone breeds horses on a farm, a female’s egg fertilized by the male’s sperm is required to create offspring. Once fertilization occurs, a new organism of the same species as its parents is formed.”
We know that a baby’s heartbeat can be detected as early as three weeks after conception. Life objectively begins at conception (fertilization) and continues to develop and grow after fertilization takes place. Therefore, although a human being is less developed in the early stages of pregnancy compared to once they are outside of the womb, this does not mean that a pre-born baby is less human or less “alive” than an adult.
What is truly heartbreaking is that throughout history, we have seen this type of behavior and disposition in humankind when it came to the mistreatment and genocide of entire communities and demographics. Slave owners viewed Africans as “subhuman animals.” Nazi Germany referred to Jews as rats during the Holocaust. They were also known to call non-Aryan people Untermenschen (subhuman) and Lebensunwertes Leben (life unworthy of life). This kind of dehumanization of groups being victimized and mistreated has shown itself time and time again throughout history.
Today, people are insisting that human life does not begin at conception and that life does not begin until after birth. All to try to excuse the act of ending the life of a pre-born baby.
Conclusion:
We hope this two-part blog series has been helpful and informative for you. There is so much at stake and so many lives at risk. Now is not the time to stand on the sidelines.
Be bold, be brave and be courageous. Speak up for the voiceless and defenseless. Know that even in the darkest times, Jesus still reigns forever. No matter what, there is always hope.
From all of us at Your Options Medical, thank you for your support and for standing for life with us.