The following is an imaginary conservation between myself and an abortion supporter whom I call Abe (for abortion).

Me: I am always pleased to have an honest, open-minded dialogue with someone who supports abortion. I think that reason, logic, and the facts are on my side, and I hope that I can share them with you.

Abe: I, too welcome, any such dialogue. I find, however, that pro-life people tend to be a bit emotional and, I hesitate to say it, they stand in the way of progress.

Me: It was not too long ago that abortion was generally regarded as shameful and something that was carried out clandestinely since it was to a large extent illegal. The attitude today among many is that a woman can be proud of her abortion, declare it openly and have her deed imprinted on her apparel. This is a revolution that is as complete as it is difficult to comprehend.

Abe: Yes, and this has abolished the coat hanger abortions and the unnecessary shame that was attached to an act that is a reasonable way of solving an unwanted and troublesome pregnancy.

Me: In the early days of legal abortion, it was said that abortion is a private act between a woman and her doctor. It is nobody else’s business.

Abe: Yes, that is true. I cannot see all the fuss that has been made about a private act.

Me: But abortion is anything but private. The father of the child, where marriage is involved, has no right to veto his wife’s decision. Her choice to kill is deemed greater than his choice to love and cherish. This seems to me upside down morality.

Abe: Well, if a woman has a right to abortion, the man’s veto would violate her right.

Me: You say a “right to abortion.” This is a fabrication. A woman does not have such a right. If she did, the whole moral universe would collapse. For every right there must be a corresponding duty. My tuition paying students have a right to be taught. This means that I, their teacher, have a duty to teach them. Rights and duties are the two sides of the same coin. Now, if a woman has a right to abortion, someone must have the duty to perform the abortion. This denies the freedom of the doctor who is pressed into service who is opposed to doing abortions. Furthermore, if abortion is a right, those who oppose abortion are flirting with criminal activity. For this reason, pro-life advocates are said to belong to a “hate” group. In fact, abortion advocates in the United States attempted to impose RICO—the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act—on them. Opposing a woman’s “right” to anything is socially intolerable.

Abe: I think you are running wild here. A woman has a right to an abortion. Let’s just leave it at that. You sure have an imagination.

Me: We know, contrary to what we hear, that time and again women who have had abortions experience post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide ideation, substance abuse, chronic depression, and other mental health disorders. This proves conclusively that abortion is not simply a private matter with little or no repercussions.

Abe: We cannot take those studies too seriously. They are often flawed and highly subjective. They often contain a pro-life bias.

Me: Then why are there women’s groups called “Victims of Choice,” “Exploited by Abortion,” “Silent no More,” just to name a few. What emerges from both the studies and the experiences of women is that abortion is not good for women. Abortion is held as something good in itself, apart from all the damages it creates for the woman, her relatives, the medical profession, politicians, and society in general. It is as if society is saying, “Let us preserve abortion, regardless of what it is and what its consequences may be.”

Abe: With better abortion techniques and better understanding of the need and legitimacy of abortions, these problems, if, indeed, they exist, will begin to fade away. Abortion will continue to be an indispensable part of the cultural fabric.

Me: Do the Commandment against killing, the Golden Rule, the Christian opposition to abortion, and the pro-life traditions of many cultures mean anything to you?

Abe: Not to me, but maybe to others. We are now citizens of the Third Millennium. Let’s adjust to the time.

Me: Abortion isolates the woman so that she becomes a solo entity bereft of good counsel, better options, and caring support. Its damage goes far beyond the woman and corrupts a sizeable part of society. It is presumed to be a right, but because of that presumption, some will lose their freedom, advocates for life will be denigrated, Churches will be maligned, and there will be episodes of violence. Abortion now towers over everything. It has been turned into an absolute—above life, liberty, and love. A society that speaks in absolute terms of the right of a woman to kill her unborn child is doomed. Pro-life people are not hateful or fanatical. They are trying to save civilization.

Abe: I thank you for our dialogue. We must agree to disagree.

Me: Let me say goodbye and express my gratitude that you were not aborted.