I am both a feminist and a pro-lifer.
Many people view this as contradictory, and I get why, but for me, it’s possible to be both.
I am a feminist because I believe in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. I am a pro-lifer because I believe everyone deserves the chance to live.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the common pro-choice and feminist arguments or points when it comes to abortion, and I will explain why I am both pro-life and a feminist.
1. Being pro-choice is all about choice.
But, when a woman goes to get an abortion, legally, she is the only who has a choice. Obviously, the unborn child does not get to choose to live because, well, he or she can’t talk.
But, what about the father? The child is his too, so why is he silenced? Fathers have parental rights so why can’t he invoke his? What if he wants to raise the child? What if he offers to raise the child himself if the mother does not want to be a mother?
Being a feminist is about equality and having equal rights and voices. Yet, he’s given none in this matter.
2. Many feminists believe that part of being a feminist means having the right to control your own body.
This is a statement I agree with. I don’t think medication, sex, or anything else should be forced on anyone. However, a child’s body is not part of its mother’s body. Yes, an unborn child depends on its mother to live. But a child who has been born is still dependent on its mother. Hell, I’m a 22-year-old and woman and I still depend on my mother (and my father).
3. An unborn child is only a life when it is wanted.
One thing I will never understand is how our government terms an unborn child as a life in some cases and not a life in others.
For example, how is an unborn child not a life when the mother doesn't want it and receives an abortion but is a life when a pregnant woman dies in a car crash? How is an abortion not considered murder but if a pregnant woman dies in a car crash the driver responsible can be charged with a double homicide? How is it possible to say that an individual's life only counts when it's a wanted life? My view, is that we are people; we can’t play the role of God.
4. We would never dream of killing an unborn animal.
We say an elephant in the womb is a baby elephant. We say a dolphin in the womb is a baby dolphin. We say a dog in the womb is a baby dog. Yet, we say a human in the womb is a clump of cells. Why do we deem some species as worthy of life, but not our own? News flash, even as grown adults we could still be considered a “clump of cells” because that’s exactly what our bodies are made of; cells.
5. Most of the children aborted are female.
Why is it that so many feminists speak up for women’s rights, yet don’t even give these female “fetuses” the right to life? In my opinion, as a feminist, you should be fighting for them to have this most basic right. A right United States citizens are promised in the Constitution: the right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
6. What if a woman is raped or the unborn child is the product of incest?
I understand it can be quite difficult to have the child of a man who hurt you. But why condemn the child for the father's crime?
As a society, we strive to find the correct perpetrators and not ruin a life for a crime he did not commit. If you feel disgusted by the face of the child because all you see is his or her father's face, perhaps you should consider adoption. I know adoption is not very common and the system is in dire need of repairs, but those are all things that can be changed.
For example, I know many people who would love to adopt; love the chance to give a child a loving home and beautiful life.
Unfortunately, though many people cannot financially afford to adopt. Perhaps with better education, equal education, and equal pay for equal work, more people who are currently struggling financially would be able to save up some funds to adopt a child in desperate need of a family.
7. Abortion saves children from living downtrodden lives.
Most abortionists, from Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics, to the best of my knowledge, take their lead from the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger. Sanger’s goal in life was to create a human race without defect.
This is proven through her own words.
For example, in A Plan For Peace, Sanger states that governments should “apply a stern and rigid policy of sterilization and segregation to that grade of population whose progeny is tainted, or whose inheritance is such that objectionable traits may be transmitted to offspring.” Abortion wasn't created to save children from living; it was created to eradicate those in higher classes deemed worthless or a pain. Individuals with special abilities are just as deserving of the same rights as the rest of us.
How can you preach about wanting equality, but exclude certain people from this notion? What is equal about that?
You see, feminism is based on creating equality for all. The key word is ALL. Not some. Feminism is not about equality for just women or just men. It’s not about equality for just those whom are not suffering from a special ability. It’s not about equality for just those with a particular IQ, skin tone, hair color, or eye color. It’s not about equality only for the born.
As Dr. Seuss once wrote, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
*With that being said, the points listed above are based on my personal views, opinions, and beliefs. I’m not one to force my beliefs on anyone else. If you want to have a conversation about this so called “contradictory” I’d be more than happy to discuss this with you.