Reproductive Rights, Religions and Political Standings

By Charlotte Preuss, ‘26

The ongoing debate of reproductive rights and freedoms has spiraled out of control into a controversy that no longer concerns the safety of those involved but rather has become a political and religious statement. The fact that this topic has become so controversial in itself demonstrates how problematic the discussion on reproductive rights has become.

Even the names that classify the two sides of the debate on abortion are problematic and confusing. They force people to choose a side they believe correlates with their religious and political standings. The names “pro-choice” and “pro-life” enforce an understanding that those who identify as pro-life stand for the preservation and protection of life while those who see themselves as pro-choice believe in the choice of abortion. However, the term pro-life doesn’t quite correlate with the ideas that it preaches. Many people with a strong connection to their religion feel inclined to join the pro-life movement believing that “Life is sacred from conception”. However, can this really be determined and classified as “pro-life” if the main point of this argument is about the sacredness in the life of an unborn child, without taking into account the mental and physical state of the pregnant person? Is it really pro-life to put a mother in harm's way or subject her and her child to emotional turmoil? As “the most vocal opposition to abortion has come from the Roman Catholic Church and from evangelical Christians”, many with a strong connection to their religion are exhorted to support the pro-life movement, abandoning all concerns for the mother and quality of life of the unborn child.

There is also an expectation politically on which side of the debate to affiliate with. As “69% of those who say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases identify with or lean toward the Republican Party”, there is once again an expectation to fit into a specific category. The issue with this religious and political based reasoning is that it often looks past the circumstances associated with the well being of the mother. When talking about the welfare of a pregnant person, rape and physical complications in pregnancy are often brought up, but the importance of the power in a woman’s right to just be able to choose is often ignored. There are many factors that lead to someone’s inability to care or provide for a child, but whatever the circumstances are, the choice should lay in the hands of the person who has a uterus, not the religious or political enforcements of others. This enforcement of ideas has never been clearer since the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke Roe V. Wade on June 24th 2022. It has been reported that “Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults say they support abortion rights, marking a 6-percentage point increase since last June”. This statistic proves that the majority of the US supports the choice of abortion, but the political interference of the Supreme Court prevents the safety and welfare of women around the US.

As we continue to look at abortion and reproductive rights through a religious and political lens, we continue to do a disservice to women around the country who deserve their safety and protection to be the number one priority when considering reproductive rights in the US.

References

“The Ethics of Abortion.” The Pluralism Project. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://pluralism.org/the-ethics-of-abortion.

“Life Is Sacred from Conception.” The Christian Institute. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.christian.org.uk/who-we-are/what-we-believe/life-sacred-conception/.

Lipka, Michael. “A Closer Look at Republicans Who Favor Legal Abortion and Democrats Who Oppose It.” Pew Research Center, June 17, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/06/17/a-closer-look-at-republicans-who-favor-legal-abortion-and-democrats-who-oppose-it/.

Santhanam, Laura. “Support for Abortion Rights Has Grown in Spite of Bans and Restrictions, Poll Shows.” PBS, April 26, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/support-for-abortion-rights-has-grown-in-spite-of-bans-and-restrictions-poll-shows.