Expert: Deborah - 12/5/2008

Question
Hi. I have a question that is not necessarily specifically about abortion, but related to it. I have heard anti abortion people argue that allowing women the right to use birth control and abortion is actually harmning, NOT helping them. They say that this is because it is because women's bodies are designed to get pregnant, and that all women have a maternal instinct. And birth control and abortion specifically causes her to rebel against this natural instinct.

My question is, in your opinion, do all women have a maternal instinct? And if a woman doesn't want to have a baby because she would prefer to focus on other things like her social life/career/romantic relationships/travel etc does that make her selfish? I mean, what if all women decided they didn't want to have babies? The population would eventually be extinct right? SO do women have some sort of moral duty to society to procreate? Sorry if this is long. I have conflicting feelings about this, and am trying to sort it all out. Thanks.

Rose


Answer
Dear Rose,

There is no scientific evidence for a "maternal instinct".  Abortion and birth control have nothing to do with women having children or not, they simply allow women to decide WHEN to have children.  Most women who have abortions (61%) already have children, and many, many more women also go on to have children after abortion and use of birth control.

There is no moral duty to procreate.  Many people would argue that there is a moral duty NOT to procreate, given the over population that already threatens the planet today.  35,000 children under 5 die EVERY SINGLE DAY due to starvation and related diseases.  

It is not selfish to want to do other things besides becoming a parent. Men do it every day.  People have fought for women's rights for more than a century just so that my generation and yours could have the choice to become parents or not.

Please write back if you wish to discuss this further.

Take care,

Deb