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In order to really understand something, I’ll very often find myself writing an article about it. So, in July 2022, I wrote a 10,000-word document addressing key aspects of the abortion debate. I had, and still have, strong feelings toward abortion, and I wanted to discover how deep the discussion went.

I struggled to understand why anyone would choose to support abortion — was there any rational basis for this? Was the pro-abortion argument really so convincing? Or was it just human selfishness, ignorance, and evil that drove support for this practice? I had never met a pro-abortion argument that didn’t have a good counter, and so I wanted to accumulate all of these sub-debates into one large archive. I had hoped to find one already existing, but no such luck, thus I resolved to create my own.

The writing of this paper was an emotional rollercoaster. I found myself bawling as I recorded the different varieties of abortion procedures, alongside the fetal development of a child in the womb. I found myself appalled at the hoops some abortion supporters would go through to defend the practice. I knew that my sadness and anger were not unfounded — for God despises the hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17), and who could be more innocent than one not yet born?

Logical Arguments

Those who oppose abortion are often accused of basing their stance solely on religious doctrine and faith, implying that they do not think critically about abortion. This isn’t to say that religion has no impact — it certainly impacts me — but rather, that there is much more to the debate. So, I must admit, another motivator for writing this article was to demonstrate that a person need not be religious in order to oppose abortion. There are many good, rational, and evidence-based reasons to oppose abortion. One need not rely solely on blind faith.

I didn’t dare to hope that abortion supporters would read the document and have their minds changed. Though the seeds of cognitive dissonance can be powerful, people rarely change their minds that way. Instead, I hoped that the document would equip and encourage those who already oppose abortion, that they might prepare for every objection in advance and become bolder, having no reason to fear the intellectual side of the issue.

A great many people, organisations, and resources aided me throughout the writing of this document. However, I would like to extend a special thanks to Stephanie Gray (from Love Unleashes Life), Lila Rose (from Live Action), and Emily Geiger (from Equal Rights Institute) for their incredible work, which partly inspired me to write this paper.

Please note that this is an expanding document. I have updated it several times since 2022, and I fully intend to continue to do so. If you, the reader, ever come across a profound argument I have not yet addressed, please feel free to contact me.

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Image courtesy of Adobe.