10 Pro-Life Arguments Against Abortion
If you are looking to be more winsome, consistent, and confident in your abolitionist commitments and conversations then this guide is for you.
Please allow us to be clear upfront: This is not just a list of sound-byte replies (although there are simple rebuttals).
This is a comprehensive ideological breakdown of the most common abortion objections and the fallacies upon which they rest. Each of them is supported and the Word of God is referred to at all times as the ultimate standard.
Let’s get into it!
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Introduction
Why we must not be silent any longer.
Abortion is an issue of loving God and loving our neighbors as we seek to hold them back from stumbling to the slaughter (Proverbs 24:11).
This conflict is cosmic and not merely political.
Fighting against the murder of the unborn is not merely an intellectual exercise—it is a spiritual one.
Contending for the sake of truth and goodness is a divine commission patterned for us throughout Scripture. (Acts 9:29, Acts 17:17, Acts 19:8-9, Jude 1:3)
This reality has heavy implications for the way that we approach friends, family, and strangers outside of abortion clinics.
So, who do we think we are to engage in such a weighty task?
Our contending for life begins and ends with the authority of the Bible.
What is our standard
The Bible is our objective standard for all of life and how we know what we know.
Building on any foundation other than the solid rock of God’s Revelation is sinking sand (Matthew 7:24-27).
It informs everything.
We are not simply relying on science to prove a baby is human. God has already spoken.
He is the Creator of all life, particularly life in the womb (Psalm 139:13, Ecclesiastes 11:5, Genesis 1:27)
We are not staking our hope on statistics that show the negative health effects of abortion.
The murder of the unborn is not wrong because it hurts women (although it does that, too)
It is wrong because God commands us not to murder and it is a violation of his law to do so
God affords the greatest legal protection to unborn children (Exodus 20:13, Exodus 21:22-24)
Telling someone that abortion harms women doesn’t deal with the main problem: which is sin in the heart.
Our God raises people from the dead through the power of His word (Romans 10:17, John 5:24, 1 Peter 1:23, Isaiah 55:11, John 11:43-44 ).
Only God can open eyes to the truth. (Acts 26:18, Luke 24:31-32, John 3:3, Psalm 146:8, Luke 4:18)
As we obey the command of God to give a defense, we are to do so with a total commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our thinking and argumentation.
His Word is truth (John 17:17).
All true knowledge begins with a fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7).
The treasures of wisdom are hidden in Christ alone (Colossians 2:7). Christians know the One who is the Truth (John 14:6).
Only by standing on God’s Word will our argumentation have coherence, consistency, and God-honoring integrity.
“Remember, our aim in all of this is to win people, not arguments”
How We must argue
Every human is made in the image of God, making all of us worthy of respect (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 9:6, James 3:9).
This distinctly Christian commitment necessitates that we operate with integrity, regardless of whether or not anyone agrees with us or returns the favor.
We are obligated not to lie because we represent the One who is truth (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18).
Because of our commitment both to loving all image-bearers, and to truth, we are prevented from being jerks, and from using fallacious forms of argumentation.
Here are some examples:
Stay on topic!
Remember, our aim in all of this is to win people, not arguments
“Only by standing on God’s Word will our argumentation have coherence, consistency, and God-honoring integrity.”
To Sum it up.
The defense that we give ought to be made with gentleness and respect in the hopes that God would grant our opponents repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth (1 Peter 3:15, 2 Timothy 2:24-26).
Argument #1
What about cases of rape?
This, along with argument 2 and 3 are the most common objections to the position for life.
Remember, the vast majority of abortions are elective. Less than 3% are because of these reasons [1]
This argument in favor of abortion pulls at the heartstrings. We all assume and know that rape is wrong, but can someone who is pro-abortion explain why?
Asking someone why rape is inherently wrong forces the person to confront the reality that what they are objecting to is the violation of another person’s body.
The task of dealing with this objection is exposing the inconsistency and failure to apply the same standard to the issue of abortion.
Many pro-aborts claim to be atheists, and this introduces a huge problem.
Atheism has no objective basis to account for anything being ultimately wrong or immoral.
If we are just apes on ego trips, rape may be what “is” taking place, but we do not derive a “moral ought” from what “is” the case.
The fact they believe rape is wrong assumes a Christian worldview where human beings matter because they have inherent
Violating the body of another is exactly what happens during an abortion [2].
If someone objects to rape, consistency would demand that they also be in opposition to the killing of the unborn for similar reasons!
Believe it or not, all pro-choicers are in favor of the death penalty—it’s just that they are in favor of putting the victim to death instead of the guilty party.
Putting children to death for the crime of their father is an outrage.
As Christians, we must be able to communicate the incredible value God places on human life (Genesis 1:27, Exodus 21:22-24). His Word says that human beings are so valuable that to take a life in an unjustified manner is to forfeit yours (Genesis 9:6).
Lastly, it should be unthinkable to anyone to give capital punishment to the baby in the womb because their father was a criminal.
In no other legal instance would we advocate for such a thing.
Do not allow pro-choicers to manipulate emotions on this topic: the innocent should never pay for the sins of the guilty.
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“What if the woman was raped? You think she should be forced to carry her rapist’s child?”
“Rape is a terrible injustice against another human being. I stand against it for the same reason I stand against abortion. I would encourage you to see that it makes no sense to make a victimized mother guilty of a crime against her own baby by having an abortion. I don’t think we should kill a baby because their father was a criminal.”
Video Breakdown
Argument #2
What about cases of incest?
This, along with argument 2 and 3 are the most common objections to the position for life.
Remember, the vast majority of abortions are elective. Less than 3% are because of these reasons [3]
It assumed that because the child was conceived through criminal means, he or she now possesses less value, or is dispensable if the mother does not want the child.
Nevertheless, any child conceived through incest has the same worth as every other child.
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“What if the woman was incest? You think she should be forced to carry her rapist’s child?”
“Those born out of incest are just as valuable as a child who was not. If you disagree, on what basis would you determine that a person not born from an incestuous act has more of a right to life?
Video Breakdown
Argument #3
What about the life of the mother?
This, along with argument 2 and 3 are the most common objections to the position for life.
Remember, the vast majority of abortions are elective. Less than 3% are because of these reasons [4]
When looking at the numbers, abortions to save the life of the mother are extraordinarily rare. [5]
Pro-choicers have successfully weaponized this objection with the often heard and extremely lame yell, “So you just want women to die!”
They are assuming the full value of the mother while failing to extend the same to the child, whom they have deemed a human, but not a person.
The assumption here is that the mother is worth protection because she is more valuable than the baby.
Remember, as Christians, we know that both the baby and the mother have equal value, and therefore deserve protection (Exodus 21:22-23).
Human rights are based on personhood as defined by God, not on totally arbitrary characteristics such as size, development, dependence, or location [6].
For example:
In a high-risk pregnancy (ectopic or otherwise) physicians are treating two patients: the mother and the baby.
Therefore, they should seek to preserve both patients’ lives to the best of their ability.
If complications were to arise and only one life can be saved, then that life is saved.
This is altogether different than the intentional murder of a human being.
Finally, we unashamedly believe that motherhood is a self-sacrificial calling and not a self-serving one. Jesus tells us that the greatest act of love is to lay down our lives for others (John 15:13).
This is a truth he demonstrated to those who hated him. A parent’s love for their son or daughter ought to leave them with no hesitation to willingly give themselves up for the child if the choice was forced upon them.
How can this not also be extended to the unborn child who is in the most vulnerable place imaginable?
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“What if the woman will die if she carries her baby to full term?”
“In abortion, the woman is intentionally killing her own child. In the case of a medical emergency where both mom and baby are affirmed as having equal value and thus equal protection, we do everything we can to preserve all life. Examples abound of mothers who were warned about risks of continuing pregnancies who have perfectly healthy children now. It is doubtful that those mothers wish they would have killed their babies before they were born.”
Video Breakdown
Argument #4
My Body! My Choice!
Often said, but never truly believed.
Many say, “I don’t agree with abortion, but it’s a woman’s choice.”
A choice to do what, exactly?
In what other situation would we say, “I’m personally against decapitating, dismembering, or poisoning other human beings, but people should be free to choose”?
It is simply ludicrous.
Nonetheless, this is usually used together with the demand that women must have “reproductive freedom,” which is nothing more than a euphemism for saying that a woman must have the legal right to murder her baby, given that if a woman is pregnant, reproduction has already happened [7].
It should go without saying that the body inside of the woman’s body is NOT her body.
If abortion was about the mother’s body, then she would be the one that dies and not the baby!
Is the person willing to grant that all women (including the little women in the womb) should have the same rights?
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“It’s the woman’s body. You have no right to tell her what to do with her body. It’s her choice.”
“You and I don’t actually believe that we should be able to do whatever we want with our bodies. A man can’t use his body to violate another woman’s body precisely because her body is not his body. The child’s body in the womb is biologically not the mother’s body. We are not free to use our bodies to harm others. If this is about the right to choose, then what about the little women in the womb? Do they have any choices? Why not?”
Video Breakdown
Argument #5
What about the quality of life of the mother or child?
Abortion advocates often appeal to dire situations to make their case in order to tug at the heart.
Who doesn’t know a single mom?
Who doesn’t know the difficulty of raising a special needs child?
Who hasn’t felt the pinch of past due bills?
Oddly enough, most of us would laugh at the absurdity of this kind of argument in any other case: mothers and fathers can simply kill their children if times are tough?
Even in the saddest of situations, we know that the will of God for life always wins over death and disobedience to Him.
Abortive moms will often argue that they wouldn’t be able to provide for a baby and so it would be better off dead.
Such justification runs completely against the command of God to trust his wisdom and power over the circumstances.
This objection presents a great opportunity to step into the position of the other person and show them the logical conclusion of this kind of faulty thinking.
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“What kind of life do you think a handicapped baby will have if they are born?” Or, “Children are expensive and the mom is already stretched thin with other kids to take care of. The unselfish thing to do both for her sake and her family is to have the abortion!”
“So, what you’re saying is that because a child may be born into a “poor” family, have birth defects, or have a hard life, we should be allowed to kill them? Should we apply that same standard of reasoning for parents if their two-year-old’s life becomes too difficult? Why not? Why wouldn’t you advise a mother who has other children to kill one of them instead? Is it easier to kill the baby because she can’t see them? God commands us not to murder. We are to turn from our sin, trust God with our lives as well as the lives of our children and obey His commands.”
Video Breakdown
Argument #6
Don't like abortion? Don't have one.
Tolerating societal injustice by deciding that it has nothing to do with you is simply unacceptable.
The objector may try to spin this so that it sounds like you are the selfish one.
“How dare you try to impose your morality on someone else?”
Of course, there’s never truly a question about whether a standard will be imposed on a society, but which?
All humans deserve to be protected.
The assumption of the pro-choice position is that the murder of unborn children is merely a preference.
It assumes that “choice” is the highest moral good, even if that choice is to tear a child to pieces.
We must not commit genocide because we prefer not to—we must not commit genocide because we recognize the inherent value of human beings.
Demanding that abortion end because I personally don’t like it carries no weight before a court of law.
God has commanded us not to murder. (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17, Matthew 5:21-22, Matthew 15:19, John 8:44, 1 John 3:12)
“Of course, there’s never truly a question about whether a standard will be imposed on a society, but which?”
Justice demands that we protect the lives of the innocent. (Isaiah 1:17, Proverbs 24:11, Proverbs 31:8)
Although abortion is legal in our country, legality is not a sufficient measure of what is good and just.
Many historical atrocities were called “legal.”
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“If you don’t want an abortion, don’t get one. It’s as simple as that.”
“Don’t like slaves? Don’t own one! If you’re against rape, don’t rape anyone! Is this a line of reasoning that you seriously want to entertain? Abortion is about morality, not preferences. It effects all of us.”
Video Breakdown
Argument #7
It's just a cluster of cells/fetus.
Tolerating societal injustice by deciding that it has nothing to do with you is simply unacceptable.
Those who fight for the right of abortion on demand often attempt to dehumanize the child in the womb by referring to them as a “fetus.”
Fetus is simply a latin word meaning child.
This argument highlights a key aspect of a larger issue: the war for the dictionary.
While clever, and often successful, changing the perception of a word doesn’t change reality: a baby is still a baby regardless of what we call them.
“Terminating a pregnancy” is still murdering a child. [8]
Saying the baby in the womb is only a clump of cells carries no weight, whatsoever, given that all of us are made up of clumps of cells.
It is biologically indisputable that a unique human life exists from the moment of fertilization. [9]
The reason abortion is wrong is because God commands us not to murder.
All of the components that make this person different from the mother who carries them are already present from the point of conception. [10]
Even if the baby doesn’t have distinct arms or legs, can’t feel pain, or doesn’t have a heartbeat, they are already a person made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13)
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“Why are you so against terminating a fetus?”
The term fetus is from the Latin and refers to the offspring or child of human being. So, what you are essentially asking is: “why are you against terminating a baby?”
Instead of speaking Latin, don’t you think we should just call them what they are instead of trying to sanitize what is actually taking place when a baby is aborted?
Video Breakdown
Argument #8
The World is Overpopulated.
Earth being overpopulated is still a common pro-choice argument.
This is surprising given that what our societies are facing is the problem of underpopulation [11].
Even if there was a problem of overpopulation, murder would still not be the answer.
What values would guide a society to dictate which people are worth protecting and which ones are worth sacrificing for a supposed collective good?
Of course, in this conversation, the elderly and the sick are typically first to the chopping block, as they are not the best equipped to contribute to the system.
Euthanasia and abortion become the tools of a secular state to create balance, and one’s value becomes defined by what they can produce.
A society that defines some lives as having more quality than others is a slippery slope to human exploitation.
Social problems are not solved by shrinking the size of the society through extermination.
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“People are already suffering because of overpopulation, why shouldn’t we help people who are already alive by preventing more overpopulation?”
“You say the world is overpopulated. Does that mean we should start deciding which people are less valuable and get rid of them? On what basis do we determine who has to die so the rest of us can have the level of quality of life you think we should have?”
Argument #9
Only women can talk about abortion/How many children have you adopted?
These arguments are typically a package deal. If it is true that only women can talk about abortion, we should immediately do away with Roe V. Wade—a decision made by seven men [15].
When it comes to abortion, our obligation to speak out against it does not hinge on whether we are male or female because a baby is being murdered.
It is a terrible injustice even if the person speaking against it cannot carry a child.
Someone does not have to experience rape to argue that rape is wrong.
Someone doesn’t have to be a husband to know that husbands should not harm their wives.
Further, someone does not have to have adopted a child to know that murdering children is wrong.
Advocates of this particular objection will accuse us of being only “pro-birth,” and not pro-babies-once-they’re-born.
Ultimately, the objection commits a genetic fallacy and is irrelevant to the morality of abortion.
It is an attempt to steer the conversation away from the horror of the issue at hand by focusing on you rather than your position.
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“Men have no right to talk about abortion!”
Seven men decided that women should have the right to abortion. Why would you support those men’s position, but insist men can’t have a position? If you saw a man beating his wife, would you try and stop him? Of course you would, because your gender has nothing to do with whether or not an injustice is happening.
“You don’t care. How many children have you adopted?”
Of course it would be wrong to abandon a child once it’s born. I don’t think we should abandon it to the trash behind the clinic before it’s born, either! Historically speaking, Christians overwhelmingly are the ones leading the way in both adoption and foster care. Whether or not I have personally adopted a child doesn’t change that it is wrong to kill children.
Video Breakdown
Argument #10
No one can use my body without my permission.
This is the argument that, although the baby in the womb is human, they do not deserve the same rights as the mother because unborn babies have not become persons yet.
In this worldview, a person is not a person because they are human; you become a person through experience and thought.
Being human is not enough to be worthy of protection.
Therefore, since unborn babies are not persons, the woman has more rights than the unborn baby and she does not have to offer the child protection.
Babies in this scenario are often affectionately referred to as “parasites” because they are using the mother’s body without her permission.
We must recognize that the right to live doesn’t increase with age, size, location, or degree of dependence [16].
The moment we begin reasoning this way, consistency demands that anyone, from infants to the elderly, if dependent upon others for their survival, can be killed because they are inconvenient.
This faulty thinking often leads to pregnancy being portrayed as a condition to which the mother has not consented.
Of course, pregnancy is a natural consequence of sexual relations between a man and a woman.
These are overwhelmingly consensual acts [17].
No one is forcing women to get pregnant.
Therefore, the analogy is inaccurate from the beginning.
The mother and her child are not enemies. What is at stake in this scenario is the lifestyle of the mother over against the baby’s actual life.
The argument is based on the idea that if the woman doesn’t want the baby that came about as a result of her actions, she can conveniently dispose of the inconvenience if it gives her relief.
We live in a culture that wants freedom without responsibility
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“No one can force a woman to carry a child against her will. The baby is using her body and sucking the life out of her without her permission. If you woke up from a coma with someone else plugged into your body, how fair would it be for them to use your body to survive?”
“Babies are not artificially attached to their mothers. The life of an unborn child comes about because of a choice others have made that brings them about. We cannot disconnect the creational reality of children from the activity of sex and claim it happened without our consent. In the vast majority of cases, pregnancy is the result of a conscious choice the mother made.”
Video Breakdown
Argument 11 (Bonus!)
I know it’s a baby, I should still have the right to kill it.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Yes, it is an actual objection used many times by abortion minded mothers who have educational goals, career opportunities, lack of desire for any more children, and/or a longing for sex without the responsibility that a child brings to their life [18].
The answer is Jesus Christ.
The only hope we have to change hearts is by preaching the law of God and the Gospel. (Romans 3:19-21, Galatians 3:24)
The moral law of God is the objective basis for right and wrong and the standard by which we will all be judged. (2 Timothy 3:16, Romans 2:12-16, )
Using it bypasses the intellect and strikes at the conscience of the person.
The reason abortion is wrong is because God commands us not to murder. (Exodus 20:13)
Murder is a violation of his law, (whether in thought or in actual deed) and will bring the wrath of God against a sinner. (Revelation 21:8, Ezekiel 18:20, Matthew 5:21-22)
This needs to be impressed upon the conscience so that the person sees their sin the way that God does, and desires to flee from it in order to run to the Savior to be forgiven.
Our task is to speak the truth in love and call people to repentance for their sin against God. (Ephesians 4:15, Acts 17:30-31)
Argument Recap
Example Dialogue
“I already know this is my baby. I have the right to do what I want with my child.”
“Your baby, like you, is made in the image of God. This same God commands you not to murder. He commands you to turn from sin and put your trust in Jesus for salvation. You will stand before Him and give an account for not only this life, but your entire life of sin against Him. He is Holy. He will not overlook sin. God demonstrated his love in Jesus, who died for sinners and rose from the dead. He is the King. The call is to repent and believe this Good News. Be reconciled to God. Trust in him for forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. He can take away all of your guilt and shame and give you a new heart. I promise that if you will trust in Him, he will provide for you and your baby and take care of every need. He will never leave you or forsake you. Turn to Him in repentance and faith. Don’t shed the blood of your baby when Christ has already shed his blood for sin. If you have murdered your child already, the only hope you have is to cry out to God. Beg for mercy. Confess your sins and trust in His blood alone to cleanse you of all your unrighteousness. Jesus Christ is Lord. Please, I beg you. Come to Christ for life!”
Video Breakdown
Now it's your turn
It is time to begin having these conversations with friends, family, and anyone else who supports abortion but has perhaps never been made to think through the issues.
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