Abortion is arguably one of the most heated debates in America right now. With the Supreme Court having overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, tensions are continuing to rise between pro-life vs. pro-choice advocates. This leaves a unique opportunity to share the truth of life’s value with abortion proponents. Rather than leading with anger, the key in sharing pro-life views is to thoughtfully prepare for the hard conversations surrounding abortion pros and cons.
Studies suggest that people forget about 60% of the information they receive. So, with a topic as sensitive as abortion, the way to really make a lasting impact is by leading with truth in love. Consider Ephesians 4:15, which says, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” We want to leave all conversations having represented Christ well, listening with compassion and respect. This is especially important when addressing abortion, given how personal the topic is for so many. After all, 1 in 4 women will have an abortion by the time they’re 45.
Many pro-choice advocates believe a fetus is a clump of cells and not human; therefore, abortion isn’t murder. Others justify abortion with topics like women’s equality, overpopulation and freedom to use contraception. However, intentional, healthy conversations can reframe someone’s stance entirely. Here are a few abortion pros and cons, along with how we can approach them as followers of Christ and advocates for life.
Pro #1: “Pro-Life Just Means Pro-Birth”
Often, abortion debates tend to center solely around the baby’s birth. While birth is an important factor in being pro-life (and every child absolutely deserves to live outside of the womb), it only captures a fraction of our beliefs. Being pro-life isn’t solely about banning abortion, rather we envision a world where women don’t need abortion whether it’s legal or not. We strive to create a world where we see the life, value, and equality in all people. The pro-life movement encompasses many amazing ministries, resources, and support systems for women, children, and families. Take a few of these topics for example:
- Adoption
- Foster care
- Elder care
- Special needs
- Racial equality (abortion has historically targeted minorities)
- Abortion pill reversal
- Parenting education and support
- Post-abortive care (see more on abortion complications)
- Support during and after pregnancy, including free pregnancy care, baby supplies, housing, mentoring and more
The ultimate pro-life goal is to meet women’s needs with such care and support that abortion never even crosses her mind. Could you imagine how much the pro-life movement could do for women and their babies beyond birth if the tax funding for abortion (nearly 2 million dollars a day) was redirected to the list above? Whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice, we should all be fighting for the same thing: to see life thriving from the womb to the tomb.
Pro #2: “Abortion Solves Overpopulation”
The idea that overpopulation is solved by abortion is completely flawed. For one, there is no lack of sustenance in the U.S. In fact, America has enough capacity to feed twice the amount of people it currently does. As Time magazine noted, a billion people sadly suffer from hunger today, ‘but that is not because the world cannot produce sufficient food for them.’ In other words, hunger stems not from a lack of supply, but from failures in distribution and responsible oversight.
Population Control
Though the points above debunk arguments about resources, let’s assume a higher birth rate does cause overpopulation for just a moment. Population control has destructive consequences on a society (remember Nazi Germany?). It promotes inequality and devalues human rights. Would we take someone else’s life to help ourselves? It seems like Thanos of the Marvel Universe had a similar idea – and he certainly wasn’t considered a hero. A society that sacrifices the innocent to benefit the strong is not a world we should want to live in.
Ironically, Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider, was founded on eugenic ideology aimed at population control, promoted by its founder Margaret Sanger through contraception and forced sterilization. She embraced eugenics, believing that certain groups—especially the poor and minorities—were unfit to reproduce. In 1939, she launched the “Negro Project” to establish birth control centers in Black communities, claiming that birth control would lead to “a cleaner race.”
Overall, the damaging effects of population control lead to a lack of pure and new life in a corrupted world. This reduces genetic diversity and stifles problem-solving and innovation. With the heavy cultural toll we’re currently experiencing, wouldn’t we want new and fresh minds to help solve those issues? The gift of life is not obstructive, as some may say. It can instead be a breath of fresh air for our hurting world… but only if we allow it.
Pro #3: “Banning Abortion Only Reduces the Number of Safe Abortions”
We’ve all seen protestors with a symbolic hanger, indicating a time before Roe v. Wade when abortions were self-performed. Understandably, the concept of reverting back to that method strikes fear in many women. But the statement, “banning abortion doesn’t reduce abortions, just illegal ones,” is not entirely true. In a study that reviewed women who were denied abortion, the majority carried their pregnancy to term. Similar focus groups in other countries reveal nearly the same results.
In addition, the year abortion was legalized in the U.S. (1973), more women died from legal abortions than illegal abortions: 19 died from a back-alley abortion, and 25 died from a “safe” abortion.
Regardless, though most women will carry their child to term rather than attempting to illegally abort, the goal is that women want to choose life. They shouldn’t have to dread a post-Roe world, and certainly shouldn’t dread it so much that they would rather risk their lives than choose to parent or make an adoption plan. As I said before, we must support women and families beyond birth and cultivate a positive and supportive experience to protect women and preborn children.
Additional Resources:
- See Life – A Focus on the Family Ministry that provides a way for churches, medical professionals, and businesses to connect with their local pregnancy centers to support lifesaving services.
- Option Ultrasound – A Focus on the Family Ministry that provides various grants that help fund pregnancy centers across America.
Pro #4: “Abortion is Contraception”
Some people believe that abortion and birth control are synonymous. In fact, about half of the women receiving abortions have undergone one or more abortions previously, which can also indicate a repetitive reliance on it as contraception. But the reason abortion and birth control are not the same is simple: conception. The biological process in which a sperm joins an egg is conception, or fertilization, which creates a genetically unique, growing organism that has never existed before and will never exist again. From there, the fertilized egg ideally attaches to the uterine wall, where it will grow until it becomes a full-term baby. In other words, life begins at conception, a reality that 96% of biologists affirm.
The word contraception breaks down into the Latin prefix “contra,” meaning “against,” and “conception,” the act of conceiving. The point of contraception is to stop conception, meaning it stops the sperm and egg from ever meeting. Until they meet, the sperm and egg are dormant, and life is not created.
An abortion, on the other hand, intentionally ends the life of an already developing human being after conception. It’s worth noting that some forms of birth control, however, can stop an embryo from implanting on the uterine wall, deeming them “abortifacients.” From its root, however, contraception stops conception from occurring, while abortion ends an already established pregnancy.
Pro #5: “My Body, My Choice”
Perhaps the most common argument in abortion pros and cons is “my body, my choice.” At first glance, understandable to see why someone would support such a statement. After all, women’s rights are objectively crucial to our society, and women should have bodily autonomy. But the pro-life movement isn’t about taking away those personal rights. Instead, it’s about drawing a line when it takes another’s rights. Consider, for example, when a pregnant mother is killed. It’s typically labeled as a double homicide, because of the second little life that’s also taken. A similar parallel can be made with abortion.
Additionally, phrases such as, “my right to choose” and “my body, my choice” are other attempts to empower women while manipulating the English Language. These phrases distract people from the harsh reality of abortion so that people can be mentally and emotionally relieved of the responsibility to consider what abortion truly is. When directing attention away from abortion, those promoting the pro-choice argument can begin to express compassion for women in a time of fear. They use these phrases to distract, pouncing on the opportunity to show mercy toward women.
We champion equality for all, regardless of their stage in life, dependency, gender, race or environment. Our human way of life, underpinned by common morality, testifies that every person has inherent value. We must hold this to be true from conception to natural death. If not, we create “gray areas” that invite unethical abuse of the most vulnerable among us. Just as any other human rights movement, advocates must speak up for the victims of prejudice and dehumanization. Since preborn children cannot defend their rights, pro-lifers are dedicated to speaking up for them against the lethal violence that is abortion. We’re also dedicated to speaking up for the women and men affected by abortion.
Christ was the ultimate advocate, always standing up for the vulnerable or those seen as “less than.” Abortion is no exception – it breaks His heart because it breaks ours. As a movement, we must choose to lay aside our pride in moments of debating. We must be willing to be disrespected, just as Christ was. For the sake of future generations, we must maintain our position of love, compassion, and truth. God wants this movement to succeed, but we must be willing to partner with Him. We have a unique chance in a post-Roe world to dive into the pros and cons of abortion and educate others. We can shine light into a broken world, showing people that there is hope. And we can do it together.
Summary
Abortion pros and cons reveal deep moral and social divides, but the pro-life perspective emphasizes compassion, truth, and holistic care for both mother and child. Being pro-life does not just mean opposing abortion; rather, it means valuing life beyond birth by supporting life-affirming causes like adoption, foster care, and post-abortive healing. It rejects the idea that abortion solves overpopulation, noting that resource issues stem from poor distribution, not scarcity. The movement disputes the claim that banning abortion only increases unsafe procedures, pointing to data showing that most women carry to term when denied abortion and that, in 1973—the year abortion was legalized—more women actually died from legal abortions (25) than from illegal ones (19). Additionally, it clarifies that abortion is not contraception since life begins at conception, and most birth controls aim to prevent conception. The pro-life perspective also challenges the “my body, my choice” argument by affirming that a preborn child’s body and rights are distinct. Altogether, the pro-life stance calls for protecting every person’s dignity from conception to natural death through love, support, and truth.
