Right to Life

Either you believe in the rights of the unborn child, and deny the rights of the woman, or you believe in the rights of the woman and deny the rights of the unborn. There is no way to remain guiltless, regardless of what stance you take. You can believe that a fetus is not a human being, but believing it does not make it so, no matter how effective it is at absolving your guilt. If you believe that, then you're tasked with explaining the science behind what quality of the air causes a fetus to become human once outside the womb. Likewise, you can believe outlawing abortion will prevent abortion, but once again, simply believing it doesn't make it true. Studies indicate that restrictive abortion laws don't reduce abortion rates.

Some seem to choose in favor of the unborn child's health and safety, and right to life, and some seem to choose in favor of the woman's right to make decisions over her reproductive system, as well as her own health and right to life when it is critically jeopardized by pregnancy. Each side makes a choice, and each side chooses to ignore different sets of consequences in furtherance of their beliefs.

Abortion is a natural act--animals do it to purge children they can not support--but that doesn't make it condonable by default. Many things are observed in the natural world that are an affront to our intuitions. Just because it is natural, and because it may be necessary under certain circumstances, it is still no less destructive to a human life. It may save the life of the mother, but that doesn't mean it ought to be given an ethical pass--if anything, the outcome of that scenario ought to be morally neutral (one life ended, one life saved). There is simply no justification to regard abortion, even in the most necessary cases, as anything other than a necessary evil.

We have to stand at this junction and make a choice as to whose rights we respect and value and whose rights we must trample, and then live with the consequences of that choice--if we are allowed to.