Notes: the abortion debate
Those who support abortion rights in some form should be prepared to argue their case on the terrain that pro-lifers have traditionally claimed as their own: the apparent right to life (or lack thereof) of a human fetus during pregnancy. Continuing to assert a woman’s bodily autonomy is unlikely to progress the abortion debate, because very few people dispute that women should be in charge of their bodies. 1
The question should be, what is the right to life of a fetus during the mother’s painful, injurious, and potentially fatal process of pregnancy and birthing? It is usually implicit that after a certain point the life of the fetus is more important than any pain or suffering the woman might suffer, but leaving this unexamined is unsatisfactory. To compel a woman to go through this process demands some serious explaining, even if we take the preservation of life argument to be correct.
From an Islamic perspective, it seems to me the principle of preserving life isn’t applied consistently. Consider something like donating blood, which is not compulsory:
“From a Shariah perspective, it will not be permissible for one to sell his/her blood to the [blood] bank; rather it must be donated freely.”
A situation where there are no blood donations will certainly lead to avoidable deaths. Why then is it left to be donated freely? Surely the shariah must compel a man to surrender his insides, in this case his blood supply, to save the life of another, in the same way it compels a woman to surrender her insides for the life of another.
That’s not exactly a like-for-like, but the point is about what we are prepared to demand of each other. The consequences of what is demanded of women should be addressed explicitly when arguing for the rights of the fetus. Although it is largely ignored, the pain and suffering of women is morally significant. Society owes itself to women who steel themselves to get through pregnancy and birthing. And this should guide us in how we treat women who feel they can’t go through with it.
๏ …And take guard of God with whom you ask, and the wombs. Indeed God is over you, watchful. ๏ — al-nisāa/1
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