Some Thoughts on Abortion: The Arguments

I was chatting with some friends on Skype earlier in the week. Given that Election Day is on Tuesday, our conversation became very political and became centered on abortion. This conversation made me very uncomfortable and also made me realize a few things. Whether or not abortion will be made illegal is not an argument; the Roy V. Wade case has made abortion's current legal status all but permanent (this, however, is another post). Even the morality of abortions is not my main focus. Rather, I want to point out some things that disturbed me during the Skype conversation and provide some of my own ideas. In no way do I mean to infringe upon your morals. 

My friends believe that it's hilarious that anyone should consider a fetus a life. The status of a fetus is heavily debated as to whether it's human life or whether it's just a mass of special cells in a woman. I understand this, but several fetus jokes came about. Also, the sheer intolerance for the idea that a fetus is some form of life (not necessarily a baby) was rude. Cells are alive, and the fetus contains fertilized cells that are certainly different from a normal cell. It may not be a full baby, but it should still be respected as something a little above an average, expendable cell. 

My friends also made assumptions about pro-lifers, saying that those who are pro life are misogynists with little respect for women and are in it for religious reasons. While this is the majority and a revolting idea, it's not the sole reason and shouldn't be treated like it. Just as there are different reasons to have an abortion beside taking care of the baby, there are different reasons to be pro life. Of course, this is not to deny the copious amounts of biased or illogical pro-life arguments or deny that this is the majority of opinions, but assuming that every pro-lifer is like this is also blind. My own friends were mercilessly assuming things about pro-life in order to condemn it as insensitive and ignorant. But they were far from open. 

I tried to state an opinion against their arguments regarding fetuses and pro-lifers. I was met with jokes about fetuses and decided to debate with a friend privately, as the group was clearly not mature enough to handle the subject. My friend brought up some good points and revealed that her beliefs were not nearly as intense as I thought. I shared my own opinions and we both felt very happy that we were able to talk about politics. Our group is large and shares mostly the same political views, so expressing personal opinions is difficult. I think that all arguments regarding abortion should be well-rounded with consideration of all viewpoints and accepted as a legitimate idea, however disagreeable. I also believe that all arguments should be listened to, as abortion is a very personal and serious issue.