The assumption of the pro-life movement is that abortion is an issue that has only become relevant recently, because women are choosing to have premarital sex earlier, whereas before couples waited until marriage. Essentially it can all be blamed on the sexual revolution and the normalization of sex. The pro-life argument also assumes either that 1) by engaging in sex women are accepting the responsibility of a child, or, 2) it is just as convenient (and definitely more morally convenient) to keep the child than to have an abortion. Let me dissect this point of view piece by piece.
First of all, the idea that people have been engaging in premarital sex more often within the past forty years is completely false. A survey conducted by MSNBC reveals that 91% of Americans have engaged in premarital sex, including those born before WWII. So case closed on that one — it is highly likely that your grandmother had sex that could be considered damnable. The idea that people are more ‘promiscuous’ today in result of the sexual revolution is skewed; sex is more present and more obvious in our culture, and more talked about, which makes it more socially acceptable, but also more present in comparison to the past decades. I personally think this point is already moot considering that even married couples pursue abortion, especially if they already have several kids.
Now, as for women being “responsible for their actions” when it comes to sex — let’s have a look at the other responsibilities of women. 46% of women in college also work (compared to 31% of males)*; women receive the majority of Bachelor’s degrees*. Women are far more likely to be single parents; in situations of divorce, children are more likely to live with their mother, and let’s not forget that even in long-term couples women are more often the primary caregivers to their children. Women live off of less than what men make — that, in combination with the demands of both parenting and having a career, next to impossible to be a single parent and take care of a kid on your own. Not to mention all the social pressures we feel to be sexy in order to be liked and child-free in order to have fun/be wanted by men.
The validity of the fetus’s being alive is disputable. The point at which life begins is a matter of opinion — whether it is at conception, at birth, or when one is old enough to vote or drink. Legally, one is not alive unless she has a given amount of brain activity, which an unborn fetus does not qualify for. This is the same law that determines when we can put people out of their fucking misery.
But ultimately, pro-”life” rhetoric has little to do with life at all, because it does not account for the lives of those who are pregnant, nor the lifestyles (both chosen and inflicted) which have unspeakable impacts among its sexually active population. People are choosing to have sex at the same age we always have, we’re just waiting later to settle down and have families (or deciding not to at all) in favor of careers, health, and relative freedom. And let’s be honest, there are plenty of people who aren’t ready for kids. If pro-lifers were really about life, they’d stop focusing so much on making people feel guilty over perceived mistakes and focus more on tackling the real issues — poor foster care system, birth control malfunction, flaws in the health care system, and welfare. Get with it, America, and stop judging people for refusing to share warped and naive perceptions of reality.
