More Rights, More Life

Abortion is a contentious issue in America. The terms used by each side convey their beliefs in the fundamental right espoused by their positions: pro-life and pro-choice. 

Each side makes a valid argument. On the one hand, at some point (I cannot and will not speculate on when that point is), an abortion does violate a baby's right to live. On the other hand, banning abortions is absolutely a violation of a woman's (and therefore a being that we can agree is living no matter how advanced her pregnancy) right to determine what she does with her body. 

At this risk of tiptoeing around this issue, I think it is important to acknowledge the seriousness of both positions, while finding a way to protect the rights of women and the unborn. The ultimate goal here should be to limit abortions while enshrining the right of a woman to have control over her body. Therefore the attempt to ban abortion outright I find unacceptable as it limits the right of a woman to control her body, but as the term implies, pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion, and I do believe that we can cut down on abortions without infringing upon women's rights. 

The way in which we limit abortions is not to strip women of their ability to have the procedure and implement regulations which would govern a woman's ability to control her own body. Rather, we need to discourage abortions by championing practices and education that would make the procedure more rare. The irony of the pro-life movement's focus on abolishing Planned Parenthood is that planned parenthoods are far less likely to result in abortions than unplanned parenthoods. Rather than compelling Americans to stay celibate (a truly lost cause), we can and should be educating people on the merits of safe sex, giving them access to contraceptives and other forms of birth control, and encouraging stable home and family lives in order to increase stable, two-parent households in which children receive the support and attention they need and deserve. 

In short, while I agree with the pro-life's goal of limiting abortion (not necessarily ending it, as there are instances - rape and incest among them - when I think abortion is acceptable), I disagree almost entirely with their tactics and ideas. Legislating abortion out of existence will only force the practice underground where it will become more dangerous without being any less common. If you think a "war on abortion" will be successful, I would encourage you to explore the undeniable and glaring failure of the "war on drugs." 

Giving women the freedom to make decisions on their bodies and health while simultaneously encouraging choices, education, and opportunities that will make abortion less likely are the keys to marginalizing that practice. Denying people their rights and freedoms is not the way to effect change, and it will not be successful - even if, in the unlikely event, it is deemed Constitutional. The pro-life movement needs a new strategy and a new plan to achieve their goals, and it would seem to me that there is substantial common ground for pro-life and pro-choice advocates to advance a goal of limiting abortions through empowerment rather than outlawing them entirely. I believe that if we give people more rights and opportunities, they are more likely to make choices that  benefit themselves and subsequently all of us. In this particular instance I believe more rights and therefore more life is the approach we need to take.