The Strawman Argument For Abortion
Recently, I have been sharing things about abortion on my Facebook page. I have seen a reoccurring theme among those who are for abortion. When you say that abortion is murder and wrong, they will come right back at you with these questions: “Are you adopting children, especially all of the ones in foster care and those who are non-white and severely disabled? Are you willing to help pay for all of the single mothers to care for their children?” They never want to talk about the lives being snuffed out in the wombs of the mothers.
As I have found through the years of blogging and as one woman in the chat room succinctly put it, “When a person cannot defeat your pro-life argument (or any other biblical argument), it is typical for them to go after you and your reputation. The aim is to discredit the person, because in doing so, it would appear to discredit the truth of their position – that abortion is murder.”
Meredith, in the chat room, wrote, “Those are red herring arguments. Whether or not people are adopting children, supporting pregnant women, etc., is completely irrelevant to the fact that abortion is wrong on moral grounds. Abortion would be wrong if all children were adopted out of foster care and all single pregnant women were cared for. Abortion would STILL be wrong if no children were adopted out of foster care and no one supported single pregnant women.
“Abortion is wrong because murder of the innocent is wrong. Caring for orphans and single pregnant women are important, in fact, very important and Christians need to step up to the plate, but those are separate issues that have nothing to do with abortion being immoral and wrong. Saying that abortion is less wrong because Christians aren’t adopting as much as they should be is like saying euthanizing the homeless is fine since people are not taking care of them like they should be.”
Another woman wrote, “Well, as someone who has had an abortion and studied the topic extensively, I say that’s a strawman argument. ABORTION and ADOPTION have nothing to do with each other. They are two separate tragedies. Orphans have always existed. Before abortion was legalized, there were orphans. Believers are called by God to care for them. But it doesn’t legitimize or justify abortion. In addition, women’s help centers are totally funded by church donations and benevolent pro-lifers. One of their primary operations is to help women find adoption options should they choose to not keep their baby. So the true church IS helping. We could do more, but again, that has nothing to do with the necessity of legalized abortion, because it ISN’T necessary!”
Becky wrote, “So, they are trying to put someone else’s responsibility onto another person. The person deciding to murder has been given this life to nurture. This person decided to make a choice to have sex resulting in pregnancy. They need to take responsibility for their actions. That is not my responsibility. That is theirs. I’m not responsible for their sexual relationships, they are. And, that is the problem, women are fornicating because they want to do it without the responsibility or consequences that could come from it. And I’m tired of people talking about the rape and incest argument. We know that is by far an insignificant percentage.” (Besides, two wrongs never equal right.)
Deena added, “Generally I’d ask them if they would agree to outlaw abortion if all their criteria were met. The response is 100% of the time ‘no.’ So then I can point out that they are not asking out of compassion and a desire to see children taken care of, they are just trying to use a conversation stopper under the guise of morality. Passive inaction is not an excuse for malicious action. If not one single child was ever adopted, if no charity or crisis pregnancy center ever existed to help mothers keep their babies, it would not justify the brutal murder these little ones are subjected to through abortion.
“It’s interesting to observe that most people who are pro-abortion are also against the death penalty. Asking them if they are prepared to house feed and care for the worst of the criminals for the rest of their natural lives to outlaw the death penalty is never entertained by them. ‘That doesn’t matter,’ they say, but it is the same argument they themselves make to justify the horror of abortion. ‘Well, are you going to pay for them?'”
Don’t allow those who are for those things that God hates silence you and don’t allow their accusations to pull you down. Keep speaking the truth in love as we are commanded to do. Truth needs to be told, especially the truth of a Savior who has saved our soul from the wrath to come for all those who believe. This is the most important truth that people need to hear. Once they believe in Jesus Christ, their hearts will be softened to the truth in all areas, including the horror of abortion.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
14 thoughts on “The Strawman Argument For Abortion”
Sad isn’t it? This is what radical feminism has done to women. Just look at NY’s appalling law allowing it up to birth! I call that infanticide!
I’m not sure I’d call it a “strawman argument” so much as the tu quoque (“you too”) fallacy. The prolifer says, “You’re approving the killing of children!” The prochoicer then responds with some version of the argument you list above–that YOU’RE not really prolife, either, because you don’t support gun control or universal health care coverage or whatever.
As you have pointed out, this is a deflection and doesn’t really address the question of whether a) abortion is the killing of a human being, and b) whether such killing can be justified. Most Americans are still uncomfortable with the idea of killing healthy children, so their reaction to “you’re killing children” tends to be “I am not! You are!”
It’s difficult to understand the mind of a woman that will kill her own child, unless you’ve walked in those kinds of shoes. The world doesn’t have the moral moorings of Christ on which to anchor itself … atrocities and horrors are to be expected. It is Satan’s world … it’s going to be a cesspool of dank and squalid thoughts and ideas. The antithesis of all that God is.
Paul reminds us that we were once like the world. And like Paul, I too am guilty of murder. I’ve had 2 abortions and it’s a scary thing to daily walk in the light, carrying the knowledge of what you did in darkness. I’m not making an excuse, murder is murder it’s true. But groping around in the darkness before you’re saved is also a real truth. I think sometimes we forget that we couldn’t always “see” the truth.
I seriously doubt that someone claiming to have the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ would find abortion an acceptable solution; or would define pregnancy as something that ‘needed’ a solution. Abortion being tolerable, along with all its feminist rhetoric is what you find on the lips of those women (unintelligent and weak-willed, spiritually dwarfed) that have chosen to be led astray.
I’ve heard it said that women DO have choices: #1-abstinence. #2-birth control. #3-motherhood. #4-adoption. However, murder is not a choice, it’s selfishness of the most insidious kind.
This is why we must continue to speak the truth in love, Robyn, for all of those who are walking in darkness. God’s Word doesn’t come back void so we prayerfully say and write what is truth and hope that seeds are planted in the hearts of those who have no moral compass in their lives. They are lost and floundering and being deceived by the enemy of their souls. They need the Light of Christ in their lives. Thank you for you honesty.
Thank you, Lori, for sharing this today. I volunteer at a Christian Crisis Pregnancy Center, and I firmly believe the most important thing we do there is to share the gospel with every woman who walks through our door. Being born again and then having the mind of Christ is what can set these women free to see abortion for what it truly is… murdering precious, innocent babies!
Absolutely, since Satan goes around deceiving those who are not Christ’s. Truth is the only thing that will set them free.
I’m another one that never understands the deflection arguments. The one I hear most often is “I would personally never have one, but I wouldn’t deny a woman’s right to choose….”
I will be intentionally very vague and mention two women that have been in my life at one time or another, close or acquaintance. One is a product of rape and the other one was a failed miscarriage, to be blunt. Her mom went in to abort her & they must have done something *wrong*, if you will. A month later, her mom realized she was still pregnant. 6 months later, her mom delivered her, a healthy girl.
She (and her mom) are firmly anti-abortion.
The other woman does not know she was born from a rape and I was sworn to secrecy. She is pro-choice. I can’t help but wonder if she would still be for abortion if she knew that her mom’s anti-abortion faith is the only reason she’s alive.
It’s definitely a very sensitive topic. I suffered the anguish of multiple miscarriages before a cause was found. I needed surgeries to rectify uterine abnormalities. Technically, I had abortions, 2 D and Cs. In my second pregnancy, the baby had died in utero at 8 weeks, but wasn’t diagnosed until I was 12 weeks. I became quite unwell as a result. If a woman develops a molar pregnancy, a termination must be done. Those done because it’s the wrong time , they don’t have enough money I find particularly abhorrent
D and Cs are not abortions and neither is taking out a dead baby from the womb, Pam. Abortions are murdering live babies in the womb.
really good post today. thank you for sharing.
A guy here. i was raised to be pro-abortion, but, like the political debate, my arguments were purely abstract until my wife became pregnant. When you hear that little heart beat at around 10 weeks, there was no doubt we were having this baby. I didn’t care if it came out deformed. It was something about that heartbeat.
One thing that struck me during my wife’s first pregnancy was that the doctor kept making statements at each visit like, “you can take this test and find out how the baby is …” and the doctor would trail off. The doctors kept saying it. I finally turned and asked my wife why they do that (I didn’t want to pay for the extra tests) and she told me the doctor was signaling an abortion if the baby wasn’t healthy.
I have never met a pro life person who wasn’t also strongly for adoption! In fact most, if not all of the people I know who have adopted or fostered children are very staunchly pro life and Christian. I would not be surprised if the majority of adoptive parents are pro life, but I haven’t researched it. They are also very supportive of pro life pregnancy centers. Our children’s Christian school and our church are constantly raising money and donating to the local women’s shelters and pregnancy centers. The argument of “well why aren’t you adopting, caring for the mothers etc” is so misinformed and lame, it is an obvious deflection. It makes me wonder if any pro choice people even know anything about Christians or pro life people.
It’s funny how the pro choice woman (and men) that use this straw man arguement don’t adopt the children in poverty that they are so “concerned” with. If they really had a heart that cared about these children they would adopt them themselves and not blame others for not doing so. All of their arguments are so flawed but there are so blinded to it.
We need to stop living “comfortable” lives! God can do miracles. We need to stop limiting Gods amazing power. My husband and I have been studying the Bible for a few years. We took the word very literally! Wow is God powerful! We have adopted many children with special needs from foster care! Folks! It can be done! Let’s stop pointing the finger and show God! I’ve done nothing, but obey God’s word! He is so good! Praise Him, Live for Him! Lori thank you so much for your encouraging words. I know God is using your blog for great things! I hope this encourages more followers to foster!
Your Sister in Christ!
Britta