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This is a response to a post⤻ I read about abortion arguments.
I think the author misunderstands the opposition to abortion and thereby uses a line of argumentation that I see often rebuffed by anti-abortion activists.
So, dislike abortion all you want. Don't get one. Don't date someone who's pro-choice (and discuss it before you have sex if you're that serious about it). Whatever. But don't use the police state to force those views on other people.
To the other side, it's not a matter of "like and dislike". It's a matter of life and death. The people who oppose abortion aren't doing so because they want to throw people in jail for it. They oppose it because they see it as murder: the intentional killing of an innocent human being. As such, you need an argument that abortion is not doing that. This paper⤻ seems to indicate that such an argument is an uphill battle, as "Biologists from 1,058 academic institutions around the world assessed survey items on when a human's life begins and, overall, 96% (5337 out of 5577) affirmed the fertilization view." meaning that they assert that human life begins at fertilization.
And secondly, this argument is easily and often rephrased as follows. "You don't have to like slavery. Dislike slavery all you want. Don't own slaves. Don't go into business with someone who owns slaves. But don't use the Union Army to force those views on other people."
Do you see how that works now? Sounds ridiculous now, right? But it's effective. Just as the people defending slavery used the argument that "slaves aren't human", maybe it's not the best look to make the same argument for abortion by saying that "a human fetus isn't human", particularly in light of that paper from earlier.
The people opposing abortion aren't just mindless villains. Their goal isn't just to increase the prison population for a laugh. They see themselves as defending the most defenseless in our world, the unborn. They don't aim for targeted laws, they seek to apply the laws against murder more equally, to include all humans, regardless of their state of development. So please, if you insist on arguing for abortion, try to avoid these pitfalls. Just know that the anti-abortion arguments are all ready and waiting for them (and they are pretty convincing).
Yours Truly,
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