Man Eviscerates Anti-Abortion Argument With One Question
Abortion has been legally settled in this country since 1973. But the debate rages on. Anti-choicers attack a woman’s right to choose on a seemingly constant basis. One favored anti-abortion argument is that life begins at conception, meaning all fertilized eggs are living. This argument has been debunked scientifically and legally, but morally, it’s one that many people cling to. Patrick S. Tomlinson, a science fiction writer, shut down that argument last week with a single question.
The “life begins at conception” anti-abortion argument completely ignores scientific data regarding reproduction and viability. But it feels morally superior, so at least they have that going for them. But when pushed on that morality, where will they land?
Whenever abortion comes up, I have a question I've been asking for ten years now of the "Life begins at Conception" crowd. In ten years, no one has EVER answered it honestly. 1/
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
Patrick sets up his argument by saying there’s one question that no anti-abortion argument or anti-choicer has ever been able to answer honestly.
It's a simple scenario with two outcomes. No one ever wants to pick one, because the correct answer destroys their argument. And there IS a correct answer, which is why the pro-life crowd hates the question. 2/
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
They're in one corner of the room. In the other corner, you spot a frozen container labeled "1000 Viable Human Embryos." The smoke is rising. You start to choke. You know you can grab one or the other, but not both before you succumb to smoke inhalation and die, saving no one. 4/
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
Imagine the scenario: fertility clinic engulfed in flames. In one corner sits a 5-year old child crying for help. In another, a container holding 1000 viable frozen embryos.
Do you A) save the child, or B) save the thousand embryos? There is no "C." "C" means you all die.
In a decade of arguing with anti-abortion people about the definition of human life, I have never gotten a single straight A or B answer to this question. And I never will. 5/
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
Save the kid? Or save the frozen embryos? You’ve got one option, and one option only.
They will never answer honestly, because we all instinctively understand the right answer is "A." A human child is worth more than a thousand embryos. Or ten thousand. Or a million. Because they are not the same, not morally, not ethically, not biologically. 6/
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
This question absolutely evicerates their arguments, and their refusal to answer confirms that they know it to be true.
No one, anywhere, actually believes an embryo is equivalent to a child. That person does not exist. They are lying to you. 7/
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
A human child is infinitely more valuable than all the frozen embryos in the world. Because they are not the same. Biologically, physically, morally, or any other way.
They are lying to you to try and evoke an emotional response, a paternal response, using false-equivalency.
No one believes life begins at conception. No one believes embryos are babies, or children. Those who cliam to are trying to manipulate you so they can control women. 8/
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
“Those who claim to are trying to manipulate you so they can control women.” Full. Stop.
Don't let them. Use this question to call them out. Reveal them for what they are. Demand they answer your question, and when they don't, slap that big ol' Scarlet P of the Patriarchy on them. The end. 9/9
— Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
If life begins at conception, then every single woman who’s had a miscarriage could be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Anywhere between 10-25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, through absolutely no fault of the woman. It’s just one of the awfully sad facts of life. To assign life at conception is to assign responsibility to women who’ve suffered through the pain of losing a pregnancy. You can 100% be against abortion, FOR YOURSELF. But every woman in this country is entitled to her own reproductive freedom. There is nothing morally ambiguous about it.
Also read:
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(Image: Twitter / @stealthygeek)
