Are abortion rights an ENVIRONMENTaL issue?

The new pro-life argument in the abortion debate.

Following the recent election results, the anti-abortion population has developed a new approach in their fight for pro-life. Interestingly enough, their new argument is based on the environment. Generally a democratic concern, these right-wingers are now showing “care” towards the environment. However, this newly professed concern for the environment is just another angle to end abortions.

“It’s a pretty egregious argument that really shamelessly co-opts the environmental movement for their own agenda.”

Senior counsel Jenny Ma, The Center for Reproductive Rights

The argument centers around wastewater pollution. Students for Life, a leading pro-life activist group, claim that fetal tissue expelled from abortion pills is polluting our water ways. They insist that the drug will contaminate the ecosystem and harm life forms surrounding. Student’s for Life proposes that fetal tissue should be disposed in medical waste bags, ultimately requiring extra resources from already overworked doctors and financial support. However, their argument lacks just one thing: any actual direct scientific evidence.

Okay, so let’s back up. Yes, the FDA acknowledges a potential concern regarding wastewater, and scientist admit that pharmaceutical pollution is a significant issue. However, the argument regarding abortion pills abides solely on studies in which animals were directly given the drug. When in reality, being exposed to groundwater with fetal tissue is very different than being directly injected with the drug. There has yet to be any concrete data examining realistic exposer effects.

Further, the battle against pharmaceutical contamination is a result of thousands of drugs. If activist actually valued the environment they would recognize that the removal merely one drug does nothing to fix polluted waters. Another anti-abortion group, BRAVE, filled a lawsuit last august against Brighton’s Planned Parenthood. According to the Mother Jones foundation, they argued the Planning Board violated the law “by failing to consider the environmental dismantles of the project”. When conversing with experts on abortion, writer Kiera Butler says that professionals were “stunned by the outlandishness of these arguments” and these implications are “so far outside the realm of reality”.

It is clear that the wastewater fight is not about tending to the environment, but purely a manipulative strategy to combat opposing protesters. The abortion debate is happening everywhere and is critical to the equity of our country. Prohibiting the choice of abortion ultimately threatens our basic liberties and contradicts America’s promise as “the land of the free”. This battle resembles a much larger nuance. Regulating bodies serves as an outlet to “regulate” humanity, which advances an unequal power ideology.

It is our duty to demote misinformation, especially durning this politically fragile time. Regardless of political belief, unreliable arguments serve injustice. Pushing a personal agenda based on inccorect realities is universally unjust and unethical. Party loyalty should not equate manipulation. The time is now to stand up for what you believe in. Passionate arguments should still be educated arguments… as James Madison said, “knowledge will forever govern ignorance”.