Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life

The idea of Pro-Choice has internal contradictions, as does the idea of Pro-Life. Both seemingly succinct expression of concepts, emotions, and intellectual justifications are the mirror image of the positions and are actually reflections of each other. In this year, 2006, the right to abortion on demand is simply ludicrous, the myriad birth control devices and medicines that are available to all obviate this “need”.  Abstinence certainly works but is an unrealistic expectation and  a denial of human nature. Women’s freedom does not depend on their right to kill their unborn children. This may seem a harsh characterization of the Pro-Choice position, but it is accurate. Most of the world’s society still hold women in contempt and view them as male property. I doubt that the world of Islam has many abortions. China has state sponsored, mandatory, abortion programs for the pragmatic purpose of keeping its population in check; male is the preferred gender in China.  These contradictions between two large populations point up the difficulty of the question.

In the United States and Europe the cynical approach to this question frames it in a completely inappropriate way. “ Our bodies Ourselves”  is the outdated battle cry from the left on this issue. In reality women have very little political control over there bodies. Except for Nevada in the USA and Amsterdam in Europe prostitution is a crime. this means that in most places women cannot sell their bodies for any legal income or dispose of them in any legal fashion. The medical profession controls women’s health and certain drugs are not permitted to them for various reasons. Sexual intercourse is going to happen and personal responsibility must be a part of that choice. Men must play a role in ensuring that pregnancy does not occur simply because passions are running high. These very same advocates of infanticide are horrified when a mass murderer is executed by the state.

On the other hand Pro-Life, while it seems to be on the right hand of God fails to pass scrutiny. It is true that the United States has a population gap of approximately 40 million due to abortion since 1973 and I’m sure the number in Europe is roughly the same. This gap is creating political problems unforeseen by the left at the time, now the quasi-socialist societies are breaking under the strain of having no young people to replace the old. The very women and men who aborted their children have jeopardized their lives in old age. The irony is almost too terrible to contemplate.

However the hypocrisy of Pro-Life is obvious. The first thing one notices is that the Pro-Life movement is mostly run by men, this should raise concerns that this is a political movement, which of course most things are. These are the same people, by and large, that insist on the death penalty for so-called heinous crimes. If all life is sacred then so is that of a murderer. Revenge belongs to God, if you are religious, as many of these groups claim to be. Though it may be financially costly to society to imprison murderers for life the cost of the coarsening of society is equally high, if not higher. I think this is obvious in the behavior of 21st century Western Culture. Where are the caring Pro-Life adoption programs? The willingness of Pro-Lifers to condone the violence against abortion clinics and the killing of the staff certainly weakens their claims to righteousness.

I doubt that this situation will change without the recognition by both sides that they are arguing from a false premise. I realize that in political questions the quest for power often prevents the success of the search for truth, or at the very least compromise. Let me know what you think.