Disabled People Matter

If a child has a hard life in front of them, we should support them, not kill them. Thankfully, people with disabilities can live happy lives and enrich the lives of those around them.

In the U.S., the majority of fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome are killed through abortion. This practice is sometimes described as “eliminating Down syndrome,” but in reality, it eliminates people with Down syndrome. When a woman is pregnant, a new person has already come into the world.

If you make an analogy between abortion and killing a two-year-old, don’t expect the analogy to change anyone’s mind on its own. Pro-choice people usually think that there’s an important difference between abortion and killing a two-year-old. The point of the analogy is just to bring those differences to the surface. Listen very carefully as they explain what they think is the crucial difference between abortion and killing a two-year-old, and go from there.

They might point to something about the fetus herself. They might think abortion is similar to killing a plant or removing a tumor. In reality, abortion kills a living human person who deserves basic rights.

Instead of the fetus herself, they might point to something about the situation the fetus and mother are in. They might think abortion is similar to unplugging a ventilator or defending yourself against an assailant. It’s true that pregnancy is a unique and challenging situation, but abortion is nevertheless an unjustified act of violence.

Rarely, someone might bite the bullet and say to kill the two-year-old. In this case, we recommend that you drop the abortion topic until you can reach agreement about killing two-year-olds.