Abortion and Moral Degeneracy

AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades

I oppose abortion for a variety of reasons, but I do not believe that anybody who approves of abortions early in a pregnancy is by definition morally degenerate. 

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Many people are convinced that early in a pregnancy, a fetus is not a human being in the sense that we normally think of one. For instance, a fetus without a reasonably developed nervous system might be seen as equivalent to "brain dead;" in other words, a body without a mind. 

But most people with a conscience would draw a line somewhere early in a pregnancy, before a fetus is recognizably human, and any moral human being should be able to agree that a fetus that could survive outside the womb is a human being, and killing the infant is akin to infanticide. 

At least you would think so. Except...life has been systematically redefined in such a way that a person's moral worth is largely defined, at least in some circumstances, as determined by whether they are wanted or not. This is especially true at the beginning and end of life, where the dignity and worth of a human life becomes for many people entirely contingent on what the people around them decide. 

The liberal position on abortion, at least in America, is that fetuses are essentially Schrödinger's humans. Whether a fetus is a human being or a clump of cells is entirely dependent upon the whims of the person carrying it. If somebody strikes a woman and kills a fetus that is a month along that the mother wants, it is murder. If the mother goes into an abortion clinic at 8 months and has an abortion, it is a choice and even praiseworthy. 

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For all the talk about how seriously women take abortions and how only they can determine what is right for them, the fact is that for a large number of women who have been inculcated with the belief that abortion is a sacrament, this simply isn't true. Quite the opposite. You can find all sorts of people online who are extremely casual about abortion, seeing it as one more means of birth control, and who believe that until a baby is born, it has no inherent moral worth. And perhaps not even then. 

You can find videos of people celebrating their abortions, "shouting" their abortions, casually discussing how many they have had, and the Democratic Party position is that there should be no limits on abortions at all, at any time in the pregnancy. 

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The reason? Moral worth is completely arbitrary. Whether a living being counts are worthy of protection or not depends entirely on their whim. An unborn puppy is precious and worthy of protection because people love puppies. An unborn infant could be a burden or impact on one's career, so it should be taken out with the trash. 

You would think that this is morally incoherent, but that is because you would expect people to have moral principles, not merely personal preferences. 

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It is fascinating to see people who get all teary-eyed at the prospect of a serial killer getting executed or a gang member getting deported be indifferent to the prospect of a fetus 8 months along getting killed. But, in a twisted way, it makes sense to them. They don't have moral principles. They have feelings, and they respond mainly to the opinions of the people around them. 

The de-Christianization of America has inevitably led to the de-moralization of America. Not that Christianity is the only religion that can serve to provide a moral foundation, but rather, Judeo-Christian values undergird the moral foundations of our society. The West used to be known as Christendom; now it is...what? My preference-dom?

That we have arrived at a society where unborn puppies—and yes, I love puppies too!—are seen as having moral value but unborn human beings don't is beyond troubling. It is moral decay. 

I have no desire to force women to become something they don't want to become; that is not the point. I want to live in a society where moral limits bind people. Yes, that means that responsibilities constrain our lives; that we would rather not have those responsibilities does not absolve us of honoring them. 

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Instead, we live in a society where thousands of people are proud of stealing, looting, assaulting people they dislike, and even assassinating them. Jay Jones is embraced. Luigi Mangione is a hero. Antifa are freedom fighters, celebrated because they oppose the president. 

I would ask, "What is wrong with these people?," but we all know the answer: when God is dead, everything is permitted. 

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Ed Morrissey 10:10 PM | November 10, 2025
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