Why the pro-life position is inconsistent
Pro-lifers will say that since pregnancy is a possible outcome from having sex, if a woman chooses to have sex, she's obligated to endure pregnancy and childbirth since she knew that was one possible outcome.
So if that's the case, why do pro-lifers give her the option of having an abortion if giving birth will kill her? Currently in the US, the maternal death rate is 24 for every 100,000 births. Granted, it's a small risk, but it's not an insignificant one. Yet nearly all pro-lifers will allow abortion to save the mother's life.
This is inconsistent. If a woman willingly takes on the risk of pregnancy and childbirth by having sex, she should be obligated to take on all of the other risks associated with that as well. Giving her an out because she will die would be like telling soldiers who enlist in the military that they don't have to go into battle if they are afraid they will be killed. A soldier who refuses to follow orders to go into battle will face court-martial. It doesn't matter if he willingly volunteered to join the military.
The rape exception isn't contradictory because the woman didn't choose to have sex in that case. But the maternal death exception is contradictory, unless you back off from the argument that having sex is an implicit agreement to giving birth.
So if that's the case, why do pro-lifers give her the option of having an abortion if giving birth will kill her? Currently in the US, the maternal death rate is 24 for every 100,000 births. Granted, it's a small risk, but it's not an insignificant one. Yet nearly all pro-lifers will allow abortion to save the mother's life.
This is inconsistent. If a woman willingly takes on the risk of pregnancy and childbirth by having sex, she should be obligated to take on all of the other risks associated with that as well. Giving her an out because she will die would be like telling soldiers who enlist in the military that they don't have to go into battle if they are afraid they will be killed. A soldier who refuses to follow orders to go into battle will face court-martial. It doesn't matter if he willingly volunteered to join the military.
The rape exception isn't contradictory because the woman didn't choose to have sex in that case. But the maternal death exception is contradictory, unless you back off from the argument that having sex is an implicit agreement to giving birth.
