Debunking “Pro-Life” in 300 Words

We’ve been having the wrong argument.

Erik Devaney
2 min readSep 23, 2022

It doesn’t matter when life begins — at conception, at a certain number of weeks, when a heartbeat can be detected. This “magic moment” is irrelevant to the debate over abortion’s legality.

The question we should be asking is:

Should the government force people to risk their lives to save the lives of others?

Because in states where abortion is illegal, state governments are doing exactly that: they’re forcing pregnant people to risk their lives to save the lives of unborn children.

Putting Bodily Autonomy to the (Hypothetical) Test

Imagine your great uncle, Albert, is in need of a new kidney. Without it, he’ll die within the year.

After testing, it’s determined that you — yes, YOU — are the only suitable match for a kidney transplant.

You are, quite literally, the only person on planet earth who can save your great uncle’s life.

But donating a kidney is not without risk. It’s a major operation.

So the question is: Should giving your kidney to your uncle be your choice? Or should the government force you to do it?

But What If It’s…

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Erik Devaney
Erik Devaney

Written by Erik Devaney

Full-time stay-at-home dad, part-time ghostwriter, retired pub musician, recovering marketer

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