By Andrew Bernstein – Capitalism Magazine
Both sides in the abortion debate invoke the principle of “rights.” Anti-abortionists claim to uphold a “right to life”; Pro-choice advocates a woman’s “right to abortion.” Neither side holds a rigorously defined theory of rights.
“Abortion rights are philosophically an individual rights issue:
“Observe the pronounced resemblance to the abortion issue. If a woman does not possess the legally protected right to control the biological processes in her own uterus, then, in principle, what right has any individual to his own bodily organs? If the state can prevent a pregnant woman from terminating an unwanted pregnancy, then what moral principle restrains it from turning anyone into a coerced organ donor? Many males mistakenly think of abortion as “a woman’s issue.” Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that it is an issue for anyone concerned with his own inalienable rights—and that it is the most fundamental issue of all—for if a woman does not have the right even to her own body, then, in principle, what rights do any Americans have?”
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