At the beginning of June the Supreme Court agreed to consider the constitutionality of a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In this debate, folks often talk about people being “pro-life” or “pro-choice” but there are actually four broad categories of views about abortion.
The first is the pro-life stance. Those who are pro-life are for life at every stage of development no matter what the situation. That means, in the case of abortion, baby wins each and every time. It doesn’t matter the circumstances of conception (rape or incest) or what the condition of the fetus is (genetic abnormality or likelihood of death shortly after birth). It also makes no difference how young or how old the mother is or the danger of pregnancy to her. In cases where a mother’s life might be in danger, that doesn’t make any difference either – mom has had a good run and baby is just starting out is the general philosophy. However, being “pro-life” also means that assisted suicide for the terminally ill is off the table as is the death penalty. If someone is pro-life then all decisions about life and death for both the breathing and the unborn at all stages of existence are left in the hands of The All Mighty.
The second position is anti-abortion. Those who are anti-abortion might be fine with shuffling an incurably ill person off this mortal coil early as an act of mercy or with giving the needle to a convicted murderer. On the subject of abortion though, baby wins every time and under all conditions.
The vast majority of Americans, even most of those who consider themselves “pro-life”, are actually pro-choice: they view another’s pregnancy as basically the business of the pregnant person and their family and find there are circumstances under which an abortion may be acceptable. If you believe a woman should have a choice of having an abortion if she is a victim of rape, or incest, or when her life is at stake, or when the fetus has severe genetic defects for example, you are in fact pro-choice. Pro-choice people though admit that there are circumstances and stages where abortion is no longer an acceptable option.
Those who are pro abortion believe that a woman’s body is her own and that the fetus has no rights ever regardless of the stage of the pregnancy or the development of the baby.
Pro-life and anti-abortion forces are applauding the Supreme Court for taking the Mississippi case. Abortion has been a constitutional right since the Supreme Court ruled in 1973’s Roe v. Wade case and has reaffirmed the basic right to abortion in Casey and other cases from time to time since. The fact is 90% of abortions already take place at 15 weeks or less and the vast majority of those that happen later occur for serious medical reasons (to save the life of the mother, the fetus is still born in the womb or has life threatening abnormalities). The only people who will be upset with the Supreme Court if they uphold the Mississippi law are those who are pro-abortion. For pro-choice folks the right to abortion would have been upheld with no practical change to the right or limit on abortions. For pro-life and anti-abortion advocates it would be a Pyrrhic victory; yes abortion will have been “limited” by Supreme Court decree but with absolutely no practical impact on the current practice of abortion itself while further enshrining the right into law.
If we as a society are going to insist that every child be born regardless of the circumstances of that child’s conception or the conditions of their lives or the ability of their conceivers to be parents then we as a society have to be willing to be foster or adoptive parents, give generously to institutions like LifeQuest and The Abbott House as well as be willing to cheerfully pay taxes to support things like education, health and childcare for kids. It would be hypocritical and unchristian to behave otherwise.