It’s very hard to strip away emotion when discussing either pro-choice or pro-life stances and often it ends up being a heated matter with each side going around in circles or getting so angry that points are lost.

First, an absolute fact: abortion is illegal in Ireland with the only exception being if there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother.

I consider myself to be pro-choice but, there is a value in listening to both sides, even if you mightn’t agree with them.

Here are some of my rebuttals to common pro-life arguments:

“Women shouldn’t use abortion as a contraceptive”

There’s a fear out there that should women have the right to abortion then it will be “on demand” with an increase in people using the service. The fact is: Regardless of whether a law is passed or not, women will continue to have abortions.

A global study concluded that abortion rates are similar in countries where it is legal versus where it is not, thus proving that outlawing abortion actually does little to deter women seeking it.

At least 10 women a day leave Ireland for Britain with crisis pregnancies.

You’re basically suggesting that women would treat abortions like over-the-counter contraceptives. Realistically, contraceptives are cheaper, less painful, and definitely less traumatic. Don’t presume that a woman who needs an abortion doesn’t realise how emotionally taxing it will be.

“Women choose to have sex, therefore should accept the risk of pregnancy”

For many, it’s archaic to see sex as just a way to get pregnant. While of course there’s always a risk of getting pregnant, it’s not a contract, and millions of people have sex for non-procreative reasons i.e. pleasure, intimacy and fun. There’s a suggestion that it’s the woman’s responsibility to see the pregnancy to the end but I see it as far more responsible to have an abortion if the woman cannot provide for her child.

In 2010, a study by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency found that 87% of women in Ireland said that an abortion was the “right outcome” for them.

“Abortions are dangerous”

What are far more dangerous are unsafe abortions where a woman cannot afford to go to a hospital or in our case in Ireland, abroad to get one. This results in women resorting to unsafe means of abortion that could put themselves in danger.

A journal from the World Health Organisation states: “Every year, about 19–20 million abortions are done by individuals without the requisite skills, or in environments below minimum medical standards, or both. Nearly all unsafe abortions (97%) are in developing countries. An estimated 68,000 women die as a result, and millions more have complications, many permanent”.

They continue; “legal abortion in industrialised nations has emerged as one of the safest procedures in contemporary medical practice, with minimum morbidity and a negligible risk of death”.

So in reality, the best way to prevent dangerous abortions is to legalise them.

“What about adoption as being a viable alternative to abortion?”

Abortion and adoption do not end with the same result.

I think this article puts is well: The alternative to abortion is giving birth but the alternative to adoption is actually parenting your own child. These are separate events at separate times even if in they take place in the same pregnancy.

Adoption requires a woman to carry her pregnancy and give birth, something that could affect her life, health and even mental health if it is an unwanted pregnancy.

“[…] most of the women who came to my adoption agency were too late for an abortion, didn’t know where to get one, or didn’t have the money to cover the cost. They just knew that they couldn’t parent a child — and, without the ability to access an abortion, adoption was their last resort” says Randie Bencannon, co-director of an adoption agency in the US.

“It was very difficult to watch these women go through the adoption process: undergoing nine months of pregnancy, withstanding inquiries from family or acquaintances about their plans for a baby, allowing near-strangers or people they had only come to know in the last few months to love and nurture their child, and then trusting those people to follow through on post-placement contact agreements. […] the process also nearly always involved anxiety and long-term sadness.”

“You wouldn’t be here if you were aborted”

People can still give birth and at the same time support people’s right not to. I also mightn’t be here if my birth mother never had sex, or if my father possibly wore a condom. But if I hadn’t been born then this wouldn’t matter to me. In the same way it can’t matter to all the foetuses that weren’t born.

As an adopted person myself I know that adoption can be a wonderful gift for people under the right circumstances but I wouldn’t have ever wanted my birth-mother to endure nine months of a forced pregnancy.

“ If you’re pro-choice you’re anti-life. Abortion is murder. A foetus is a human being with a right to life”

If you have such strong feelings about this, it’s going to be very hard to convince you that a foetus isn’t a life. However, let me just tease out a few points.

Arguing whether a foetus is human or not is actually a very subjective matter. From medical practitioners to law, to philosophers and society, there’s no general consensus on what a foetus actually is.

“But isn’t it a human being?”

Well, a foetus is made of human and DNA certainly. “Ah ha! You may say, so you agree that it’s a human being?” Well no. It’s human, in the same way a flake of skin is, but it’s not a human being. Just like an egg isn’t a chicken.

Saying that a foetus is “a life” is an ambiguous term unless you’re really using the term as another way of saying “a human being” which brings me back to the point above.

“Born human beings can be dependent on people too”

True, but only a woman and her body can nurture a foetus. The foetus actually resides within a woman and depends on her body for survival. 90% of abortions in the UK take place in the first trimester, when the foetus’ health is dependent on the mother’s health and cannot exist independently outside of her womb.

“Life begins at conception”

I think you really mean that “human beings begin at conception?” I would say that there is a potential human at conception but it’s not a life yet, the same could be said for any sperm.

Consider this: do you feel that there should be an exception if a woman’s life was in danger? Should there be an exception if the child was conceived through rape or incest? If you answered “yes”, to any of these, then your argument for “right to life” of a foetus is actually negotiable, and acknowledges that a woman’s rights are more important than that of a foetus.

“You’ll live in regret if you have an abortion”

A three-year research study involving nearly 670 women of all social backgrounds concluded that 95% of women did not regret their choice.

I refer back to the study above: “Certainly, experiencing feelings of guilt or regret in the short-term after an abortion is not a mental health problem; in fact, such emotions are a normal part of making a life decision that many women in this study found to be difficult,” the study reads.

“Our results of declining emotional intensity… [find] steady or improving levels of self-esteem, life satisfaction, stress, social support, stress, substance use, and symptoms of depression and anxiety over time post-abortion.”

In conclusion: I believe that women have the right to choose. Thousands of women go abroad for abortions, while others who can’t afford to, continue their pregnancy against their will or try to end it through life-threatening means. Why must they go abroad to a foreign country just to get support?

You may even know someone in crisis who hasn’t been able to share their story for fear of stigma.

Being pro-choice doesn’t mean we’re anti-family, there’s no one disputing that a wanted pregnancy is a wonderful thing.

By having more options for women, transgender and non-binary people, we’re creating a more inclusive and safer society.

Deciding whether or not to have an abortion IS taking responsibility, and it’s not a light decision to make.

This is about allowing women to evaluate their situations and choose what is best in their own circumstances.