When women say, "My body, my choice," I agree.
YES, we have the right to our bodies and our
bodily autonomy.
Women and their bodies must be respected and
protected.
Bodily rights are especially important when
a woman is pregnant, because there is more
than one body involved.
After all, carrying a baby is a bit more complicated
than, say, carrying a football.
This is my husband, Benjamin.
He's a tight end for the New Orleans Saints
and he's scoring a touchdown.
And now he is announcing that I am pregnant.
With twins.
So, case in point: It's not just MY body here.
There are three bodies.
Some people try to say that “children in
the womb are part of the woman's body”—
but come on.
If a child in the womb were literally part
of a woman’s body, like her arm or leg,
then I would have three hearts, three brains,
thirty fingers, and because there are two
boys in there, I'd be mostly male.
So when people try to say "My body, my choice"
to defend abortion, it doesn't make sense.
'Cause here's the thing about bodily rights,
and rights in general: A right isn’t a right
if I only apply it to ME and remain unwilling
to grant to others what I ask for myself.
To put it simply, a woman’s right over her
own body does not include the right to end
the life of an innocent human being.
Think about it: we would find it horrifying
if a pregnant woman intentionally took drugs,
while knowing that it could cause her child
to be harmed physically or mentally.
However, if a woman has the right to do anything
she wants with her body, including terminating
her child, then we can’t say that’s wrong.
Furthermore, we must recognize that there
is a uniquely special relationship between
the bodies of a mother and her children.
Parents, both mothers and fathers, have a natural
obligation to support their children that
our legal system recognizes.
This is why we require that fathers pay child
support for eighteen years.
The father does not get to say “My body,
my choice,” choose not to put his body to
work, and opt out of paying to support the
child he helped create.
Likewise, mothers have a natural 
obligation to support their children.
Both parents are responsible to feed, house,
care for, and otherwise not neglect their children.
If they cannot care for a child, a mother
or father is not allowed to
end the child’s life.
They must make an adoption plan, or abide
by Safe Haven or Baby Moses laws and leave
the child at a hospital, police station or fire
station.
Since parents have a natural and legal responsibility
to meet the basic needs of their children
after birth, it follows they have the same
duty before birth.
But when women say "My body, my choice," regarding
abortion, think about the message that sends
to men.
"It's 'Her body, her choice' so I don't need
to take on the responsibilities of manhood,
marriage, or fatherhood."
"It's 'Her body, her choice,' so it's her
problem."
If a man uses a woman for nothing other than
sex, gets her pregnant and she has an abortion,
he can shrug it off as a "women's issue."
"My body, my choice" is not an argument for
women’s bodily rights if it results in a
woman being neglected, rather than respected
and protected.
It is backwards to say that preborn children
do not have a right to life because they are
completely dependent on the mother's body.
An infant once born is still completely dependent
on the bodies of others for survival, but
no one thinks an infant lacks the right to
life.
The weakness and dependence of children is
reason to give them more care and support,
not less.
Dependency does not eliminate humanity.
In fact, dependency enriches humanity.
Benjamin and I, and our seven children are
all dependent, on each other, on our community,
and on God.
Let's have a community in which bodily rights
and bodily autonomy means we respect, protect,
and support one another, including the weakest
among us.
