Abortion vs. Not Donating Organs

Some well-meaning pro-life advocates only focus on the nature of the preborn, but that’s not always helpful. Some pro-choice arguments, like the one in this example, attempt to show that abortion is okay even if a fetus has human rights.

There are many differences between abortion and refraining from donating an organ, but one of the most important differences is this. When a patient waiting for an organ transplant dies, her injury or illness is what kills her. If you could have donated the organ and didn’t, you allowed her to die, but you didn’t kill her. To be clear, this tragic situation is very serious, and we should all carefully consider whether we are doing enough to assist those in need. However, declining to donate organs is not homicide. In contrast, when a fetus dies through elective abortion, the act of abortion itself is what kills her. Abortion is a violation of basic human rights.

Check out this related blog post by Pro-Life Humanists.