The real issue in the abortion debate

Contrary to popular belief, the abortion debate in America is not about when human life begins or the ethics of abortion; it is about women’s equality. When I attended a Catholic high school, a religion teacher explained the abortion debate to me like this: Why are people who are pro-choice so passionate about this issue? He said, because without abortion, women will never be equal to men. Why is that? Because men can have sex and not be burdened with the consequences of reproduction (e.g. children). But for women, it is biologically impossible to separate reproduction from sex. Women are the ones who must carry the baby for nine months, breastfeed, and go through painful procedures and postpartum recovery. Even without a baby, women are burdened with preventing them in the first place through a variety of contraceptive methods that don’t exist for men.

Legalizing abortion recognizes the unequal reproductive consequences for men and women and aims to level the playing field to allow women equal opportunity to participate in society. Ultimately, outlawing abortion means more inequality on the basis of sex, as even my religion teacher recognized. Therefore, this debate is really about what you value more: equality for women or the life of a fetus. Unfortunately, you can’t have both at the same time.

Abigail Collins

Coe College Student