The opponents of abortion try to call themselves Pro-Life. They try to shift the discussion to the issues of life and death. One of their arguments is that abortion destroys the sanctity of human life. Abortion is the same as killing a living human person. They cite studies of scientists who argue that conception marks the beginning of human life. From the perspective of science and medicine, the unborn has a life of its own which is distinct and separate from the mother’s. From that moment the unborn becomes a member of the human species.
From a philosophical standpoint, Pro-Life argues that abortion is immoral because to be entitled to protection and to be considered alive, it is not necessary for the unborn to attain complete state of its development. It is not necessary that the unborn has limbs or that there is an active brain activity. To say so would mean legalizing the murder of a person who is in a state of comatose or allowing the murder of a person who is born without limbs to be executed simply because he lacks the other parts of the body that we all have.
Moreover, abortion is immoral because no mother has the right to decide whether she will continue with the pregnancy or not. No person has the right to decide who gets to live and who gets to die. Likewise, they also argue that the determination of who is worthy to live and who is not is up to God alone.
The Pro-Life also argue that abortion only enslaves more women. It does not empower women nor does it make women richer, happier or more successful. In fact, David C. Reardon citing Thomas Strahan’s research on abortion’s impact on the socio-economic status of women states that: “1) women who have had abortions are at a greater risk of suffering emotional and psychological problems which may interfere with their ability to concentrate, make decisions,, and interact with others, thereby reducing their level of job skills and employment opportunities. 2) Post-abortion women are more likely to engage in drug and alcohol abuse often as a means of “numbing” negative feelings stemming from the abortion.” (David C. Reardon, 2000, p.1)
Another argument against abortion is that it is inherently not a safe procedure. It is not a safe procedure because despite the advances in technology, scientists cannot absolutely guarantee that the woman will survive the procedure or will not suffer complications. Research shows that it is very much possible for the mother to suffer Ectopic Pregnancies, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, subsequent infertility and miscarriages, future premature births, small-for-dates babies and placenta praevia, which is 7-15 times more common among women who have had abortions than among those who have not (“Prolife 10 Arguments Against Abortion”).