It is an interesting subject. I recently listened to young woman (about 20 or so) deliver some very sobering statistics, in a debate, regarding the physical and emotional health of women who elect to have an abortion. She was making a secular, ethical argument and made no religious argument at all.
In her argument, she cited a number of studies that showed various physical impairments that developed into problems for the mothers as a result of their abortions. But the one that really made a resounding impression on me was a long term study conducted by the University of Michigan, in which their results cited 80+ percent of women who had an abortion felt guilt, remorse, distress and exhibited some form of emotional trauma as a result of their decision to terminate their pregnancy. They reported that these feelings stayed with them throughout their lives, even into their later years.
I thought her argument was well presented, well considered and well cited; it was certainly persuasive. She blew away her opponent's argument with remarkable precision. It was the first time I've heard the argument made in a secular, moral context, and that choice by her neutralized any attempt by her opponent to cast her as a "religious fanatic."
I was impressed by this young woman's argument and by her appeal, as well as her descriptions of the clinical reports detailing the very real, very overwhelming experience of these women.
Why feel guilt if it's just about some cells or tissue? The women who feel guilt know that this is not the case, either through their education or through illuminated conscience. Let's not turn it into a consequentialist argument - "Don't do it because if you do, you'll likely feel bad about it later and this will hinder you from leading a productive life." I find it unlikely that this argument will persuade the hardline feminists and those who have convinced themselves that the conceptum is to be disposed of as it pleases them.
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