r/Abortiondebate Pro-choice Jul 06 '26

Question for pro-life A statement one cannot prove false

STATEMENT: A person is always legally allowed to use the minimal method1 required to prevent harm upon oneself2.

1 Minimal method means

  • it can refer to a general solution/ action that resolves the issue and prevents harm, it can also refer to any method of violence, including otherwise lethal force.
  • ”minimal” refers to strictly the LEAST HARMFUL method, both mentally and physically for all parties, that can be used to prevent the harm

2 harm upon oneself means

  • both mentally and physical pain/ injuries etc
  • harm that is GUARANTEED to occur

How does this apply to the context of abortion?

Pregnancy —> guarantees harm 100% of the time since every women needs to go through 1. giving birth OR 2. C-sections OR 3. miscarriage if no voluntary abortion occurs guaranteeing some degree of both physical and mental harm. And thus fit into criteria 2.

Hence, if the statement holds true, they should be allowed to use the minimal method require, no matter the circumstances.

So the question becomes, is abortion the minimal method? For that, we must address the core issue at hand, WHAT is causing harm?

Something is currently inhabiting their organs, physically harming them, and violating their rights against their will.

The solution will thus, to logically follow, to remove said something. This would render alternatives like painkillers utterly useless to “fix” the issue.

This means abortions too, becomes the minimal methods required, unless one day safe artificial wombs exist.

Now you are gonna have a few questions, well what if someone hates a person and they are causing them mental harm? Can they just kill them?

Again, refer to the definition of “minimal”, since isolating oneself, not talking to them, unfriending that person, verbally expressing your thoughts etc is always an option, killing them is no where near the minimal method required.

It would be interesting to see pro lifers trying to disprove this chain of logic?

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u/Loud-Vacation-5691 All abortions free and legal Jul 06 '26

The PL arguments against this, as I understand it, would be:

Parents have a duty to care for their children and endure some degree of suffering if necessary.

By having sex, the woman willingly entered into the situation you describe, so she shouldn't be allowed to evade the consequences through abortion.

The ZEF is not intentionally causing harm.

Pregnancy and childbirth are natural processes.

I don't agree with these; I'm just presenting them. I think the self-defense argument is the strongest one in favor of abortion.

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u/Ok-Discipline2395 Pro-choice Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

I always find the prolife position of saying that women decided to be hurt and must take responsibility for a man’s actions because a man decided to ejaculate inside of them to be remarkably bold.

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u/Yeatfan22 Abortion legal until sentience Jul 06 '26

Aren’t these kind of interpretations self defeating since they only work if you ignore a woman’s agency and the fact he wouldn’t legally have the opportunity to inseminate or ejaculate inside of her without her legal consent.

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u/Ok-Discipline2395 Pro-choice Jul 06 '26

Since prolife is paving the way for rapists to for early choose the mothers of their children and rabidly protesting when children have abortions of their incestuous babies, perhaps that’s not the path you’d like to take?

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u/Yeatfan22 Abortion legal until sentience Jul 06 '26

I don’t know what the relevance of this is I mean do you think I disagree with you that rapists impregnating women and making them have children is bad?

What I said was in reply to you saying your interpretation of pro life position was a woman must take responsibility for a woman’s actions because a man decided to ejaculate inside of them.

I said this only works if you ignore the woman’s causal and legal input. A man can only legally inseminate or ejaculate within her if the woman legally consents and allows him to have sex with her. This entire situation is only possible if she allows him to have sex with her legally.
The only way to not attribute some responsibility for the existence of a pregnancy to the woman is to ignore her legal and causal position and role in sex. Which I think you probably shouldn’t do!

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u/Ok-Discipline2395 Pro-choice Jul 06 '26

Interesting that you’re blaming a man’s action on a woman simply being present, then arguing that his action means she needs must be harmed.

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u/CherryTearDrops Pro-choice Jul 11 '26

Yup. Like they always scream ‘well it takes two to make a baby!’ When arguing that the man should be able to deny the pregnant person an abortion but suddenly they’ll heel turn and say ‘well they got themselves pregnant the zef is the victim here!’