I recently wrote about reframing how we talk about abortion rights in my diary, "3 More Words And Phrases Democrats Should Start Universally Using," and recommended softening our language on this subject. The purpose was to win the middle with moral language they can accept in order to set aside any personal emotions against abortion, and allow themselves to morally vote for Democrats.
I don't suggest we abandon that tack — I believe it is an important message we should convey — but at the same time we have to have a way to call out those who continue to call abortion "murder" because they view a zygote as a "life." Until now, our response has been to use science and reason to explain (that's what we democrats always do, after all — explain rather than "define-in-simple-to-understand terms," aka frame) how a few cells, a zygote, a fetus, etc., isn't really a "life."
That argument is never, ever, ever going to work. People who believe a "life" begins the moment of conception will never be talked out of that belief.
Fine. Let's not try to talk them out of it.
(Edited to add for clarification:) Sometimes it just feels good to have a retort that shuts these "abortion is murder" people up. I don't advocate adopting this as an official "frame." As I said, we must continue to use the softer frame for the purpose of winning people over. Please head over to the original diary and check it out if you haven't already.
That said, if you ever want to call someone out on this blatant hypocrisy ...
Pregnancy — even a normal one without any foreseeable complications — is an inherently life-threatening condition. The list of bad outcomes, up to and including death, is extensive, and most of them are unforeseeable until they actually happen:
High blood pressure
Hypothyroidism
Cholestasis of Pregnancy (a common liver disease that only happens in pregnancy)
Placenta Accreta
Toxoplasmosis
Listeria (pregnant women are 20 times more likely than non-pregnant healthy adults to become infected)
Pelvic floor disorder
HELLP Syndrome (Hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells), Elevated liver enzymes, Low platelets counts (platelets help the blood clot))
Temporary and permanent injury to back
Dropped (prolapsed) uterus
Pre-eclampsia
Eclampsia (convulsions, coma during pregnancy or labor, high risk of death)
Gestational diabetes
Placenta previa
Anemia
Thrombocytopenic purpura
Embolism (blood clots — high probability of death to both the woman and child during routine delivery)
Mitral valve stenosis
Hemorrhage
Severe post-partum depression and psychosis
Coronary and cardiovascular disease
Magnesium toxicity
Severe hypoxemia/acidosis
Increased intracranial pressure, brainstem infarction
Malignant Arrhythmia
Circulatory collapse
Placental abruption
Obstetric fistula
Miscarriage
Future infertility
Permanent disability
Heart attack
Stroke
Death
This makes every single pregnancy a potential threat to a woman's life. Every single one. Even ones without known complications. I know about this for reasons that are all too real. I have a cousin who suffers from permanent mental and physical disabilities (thankfully mild!) as a result of an Amniotic Fluid Embolism suffered during the routine delivery of her son. In order to stand a chance of saving her life, doctors had to remove her hemorrhaging uterus, so she will never be able to have any more children.
Tragically, her son died a few days later, while his mother lay in a coma in intensive care.
Even today, AFE is the leading cause of death during labor and the first few postpartum hours, and it remains a deadly and unpreventable obstetric emergency. Despite technological advances in critical care life support, the maternal mortality rate for AFE remains around 61%; a large percentage of survivors have permanent hypoxia-induced neurological damage. The fetal mortality rate, although better than the maternal rate, is a dismal 21%, and 50% of the surviving neonates experience permanent neurological injury.
We've been hearing a lot lately about how righteous it is to "Stand Your Ground" against even a
perceived threat to your life, even if that life is a living, breathing, human being armed only with a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. This "taking of a human life" is not considered "murder" by those who advocate on behalf of the right to defend oneself from a potentially deadly bag of candy.
(me at the police firing range circa 2004)
One must logically conclude (based on how their logic works), that if the threat being posed to a woman's life is actually real, measurable and indisputable on the basis of scientific fact:
Abortion could be called "Stand Your Ground" for Women.