We Should Care for Unwanted Children

We don’t want any children to grow up unloved, but we don’t think that’s reason enough to kill people who are already alive. We should work to improve their lives, not end their lives.

Don’t expect this analogy on its own to change anyone’s mind. Pro-choice people usually feel 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 feel 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. In reality, pregnancy does not give a mother permission to kill her child. In fact, it gives her and her community an even greater duty to protect the child, compared to their ordinary duties to typical adults.

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.