Arguments for abortion choice are put forth in popular culture – in newsprint, online, and in the broadcast media – with much verve and vigor. But as we shall see, these arguments are offered with little relation to the rules of rational argument, rules that defenders of abortion choice, in their more candid moments and with other issues, would never abandon. The purpose of this chapter is to present and assess those arguments. Of course, not every defender of abortion choice holds to all or any of these arguments. Some of the more sophisticated apologists eschew much of the popular rhetoric and defend their position on other grounds. (These grounds and the arguments for them are the focus of Chapters 3, 6, and 7). But because most people will come into contact with the popular arguments, and because some of them are found in some Supreme Court opinions, it is necessary that we carefully assess them.

In this chapter we will cover three general categories of popular abortion-choice arguments: (1) arguments from pity; (2) arguments from tolerance; and (3) arguments ad hominem.

ARGUMENTS FROM PITY

An argument from pity is an attempt to show the plausibility of one's point of view by trying to move others emotionally, although the reasonableness of the position really stands or falls on the basis of other important factors.