The Elephant in the Room: Abortion and Sex, by Christopher Wolfe

 

Abortion seems necessary to many in our society because they are deeply committed to the view that sex is something that most human beings just can’t do without.

The public conversation—if it can be called that—over abortion rose to hysterical heights with the demise of Roe v. Wade, and it has become central to national politics, especially on the left. But the conversation always stops short at a certain point. I want to review how the discussion proceeds and then show where it stops—where the ultimate underlying assumptions should reveal themselves. And that will reveal the daunting task that lies ahead for the pro-life movement, as it tries to change the culture.

The arguments regarding abortion are familiar to us all. From “keep your hands off my body” and “no, it’s a different body,” through “the fetus is too dependent to be separate” and “newborns are dependent, too,” to “the fetus is not really a person” and “the fetus has its own DNA and development,” and so forth. …