The news that Roe v. Wade may be overturned has caused me to reflect on and reassess some of my values and political positions.
I am, at heart, essentially pro-life. I loathe abortion, not only because it destroys human life, but because its widespread use leads to devaluing human life.
Today, there are many extremely effective birth control methods available. The number of women who become pregnant despite using birth control correctly is miniscule — not just as a measure of birth control’s percentage of ineffectiveness. Ovulation is required for pregnancy, and even then there is only around a 25% chance of conception. Plus, many women decide to continue an unplanned pregnancy. But improving access to and education about birth control is paramount to making sure that all babies conceived are wanted.
Only extreme cases, such as forcible pregnancy or a pregnancy threatening a woman’s health should necessitate abortion. There are also pregnancies that will not lead to viable human life. This harrowing dilemma is for a woman, together with her family and medical team, to decide.
But the devaluing of human life frightens me. Very possibly, I’ve been influenced by the Holocaust, in which Jews and others were treated as sub-human, not worthy of life. I have always been concerned when a society starts to make these judgment calls.
In Iceland, for example, they celebrate “eliminating” Down syndrome from the population. Have they stopped to consider the joy they have removed from their society by “removing” such people from their midst?
I believe that every person is created in G-d’s image, regardless of ability, disability, skill, talent — anything. I worry that quotidian abortion erodes that sense of humanity.
Despite holding this view, I also understand why people are pro-choice and why women especially view the right to have an abortion as fundamental. Many of my friends feel that way. But still, I always believed that if abortion were curtailed, I would be fully supportive.
Yet, I find myself balking at this potential overturn. Generally, because it is a further fissure I fear our society cannot withstand. But specifically, because some states have such restrictive policies that prevent — either de jure or de facto — abortion in nearly every single case. I prefer the halachic approach, where each case is weighed before making a decision, and on rare occasions the decision is to abort. A blanket ban on abortion prevents that.
While the thought of fewer abortions gives me a sense of solace, existing human life always takes precedence over potential human life, which is why the option of abortion must always exist, in an accessible form.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]
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