I tend to stick away from conversations involving abortion because it is such a sensitive subject. It’s a conversation which is routinely trolled and is intensely personal. I can’t think of a legislative issue which has similar stakes.
As a guy, the subject is at arm’s length and I struggle to know the extent to which I can engage with the subject. There’s an intellectual, emotional, and lived distance between myself and the subject to which I need to be sensitive.
At the same time, as a piece of public discussion, I find it extremely interesting to explore the issues and what they mean for me and how they accord with my other political views. As a piece of politics, I find it interesting to see the ways in which the issue is framed and to see the way language is used to control the way we think about the issue.
Take the following four scenarios.
- A woman discovers that she is two months pregnant but does not wish to be.
- A woman is eight months pregnant and her partner dies. She does not wish to continue with the pregnancy.
- A woman is eight months pregnant. She and her partner decide to end their relationship. She does not wish to continue with the pregnancy.
- A woman has gone into labour. During childbirth there is a medical complication. The doctors inform the parents that the child has been severely brain damaged.
In all four of the above scenarios, I do not consider it ethically wrong to terminate the child. I believe this qualifies me for the label ‘pro-choice’ (even ‘pro-death’) but various people — including Van Badham — have informed me that I am actually pro-life (and anti-choice).
Why? Because I also think the principle behind Zoe’s Law is a good one.