The recent anti-abortion march in Washington, and the forthcoming decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, should raise concerns for all.

Anti-abortion groups claim that abortion is murder, which is a relatively recent perspective. There is no scientific basis for determining when an embryo or fetus becomes a person. Instead, the beginning of personhood depends on how individuals and communities view it. Having 46 chromosomes is a necessary but insufficient condition for personhood. For example, in Jewish law an unborn fetus is not considered a full person until birth.

During the 1960s, the intersection of the civil-rights and feminist movements contributed to the view of induced abortion as a basic right of women to have full control over their bodies. However, the view of induced abortion as equivalent to murder would not become a major issue until after Roe v. Wade (1973) with the politicization of the Christian Right. The deindustrializing of the U.S. economy, resulting in the loss of many high-paying jobs held by men, while many college-educated women entered the labor market, fueled this movement. The anti-abortion movement thus has parallels with the Taliban in that it seeks to keep women homebound and under the control of men.

The Dobbs v. Jackson decision will determine whether the law prioritizes the physical, mental, and social well-being of a woman interacting as a societal member, or the well-being of an unborn that has only the potential to one day join and interact as a societal member — a person.

Stephen Fielding
Portland

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