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Does It Actually Matter When a New Life Begins?
Should anyone be forced to save a life against their own will?
Does it actually matter when a new life begins? A person capable of having an abortion is already life in process. That person is a decision maker — the only one tasked with the very complex job of stewarding the contents of a uterus that may or may not contain human potential. If abortion involves sloughing off some unwanted cells in the interest of health and well-being, or if abortion involves ending a life, that decision belongs to the already formed human to (and inside of) whom those things are taking place.
You might be surprised to learn that, as a culture, we have already decided this — and if it weren’t for the politically precarious position of women (or anyone with a uterus) — this issue would be far clearer.
We already have laws about bodily autonomy on the books. If I am in a terrible accident in which I will die if I don’t receive a blood transfusion — and your blood matches mine — no one can legally compel you to offer your blood to save my life. Your blood is part of your body, and cannot be taken from you without your consent. I have given blood and carried a child to term and given birth; giving blood is no big deal, whereas carrying a child to full term and giving birth was one of the most…
