When pro-lifers picket Planned Parenthood clinics they often do so holding signs that have disturbing pictures of aborted fetuses. They do so in hopes that pro-life people will be forced to change their opinion on abortion after being confronted by the grizzly images
However, these protesters are only showing half the story.
On the other end of the abortion equation are the women put in harm’s way by laws that restrict their access to the procedure. According to the Guttmacher Institue, over 30,000 women die each year from botched abortions in countries where the practice is forbidden and 45% of all abortions performed worldwide are done so in unsafe conditions.
When abortion is looked at from the macro level it’s tough to say which side is more “pro-life.”
A Trumblr user named stfuantichoicers perfectly illustrated this point when a pro-life activist asked pro-choice people on the forum to Google abortion pictures and see if they could still hold the same position on the issue. “Do it, I dare you. Abortion is WRONG,” the activist wrote. “Pass it on pro-lifers.”
Here’s the response.
Stfuantichoicers does a fantastic job at reframing the argument so that no one in the debate can really claim to be more pro-life than the other. Is it really “pro-life” to pave the way for the deaths of tens of thousands of women each year to protect fetal tissue?
Pro-life people may claim their position has the moral high ground because of late-term abortions, but those are incredibly rare and only happen if the mother’s life is in danger. In this case, the pro-lifer is stepping in and asking the state to choose the life of the unborn child over its mother’s. Shouldn’t that be the doctor’s decision?
The post has recently gone viral on the Reddit r/MurderedByWords subforum where it’s had some great responses.
“Also just like… I don’t want to see pics of back surgeries either. I still support access to them,” — NoahWilzon
“What, it’s almost like something isn’t immoral simply because it’s gross!? Weird. These people need better arguments, this one is a joke.” — Smgth
“A lot of conservatives are driven by fear and disgust, and that’s what drives their political decision making,” — perfeptionactionproof
(Which is true, according to this article published by GOOD.)
“Very few people would support access to any medical procedure if their basis for support was to enjoy looking at pictures of the procedure. I don’t want to look at pictures of open heart surgery, I’m not about to oppose open heart surgery because of that lol,” — CindyButtSmacker
“The same people that are anti-abortion are generally the same people that are pro-war when the time comes. If they would see the actual results of war, and not just reporters in khaki-pocket vests, would that change their minds? Of course not. Because it’s never, ever been about the gore or loss of life to these people,” — Val_Hallen