‘No uterus, no opinion,’ Actually, no…

Ireland is preparing to vote, again, on the issue of abortion. The Irish government announced that the referendum vote, on the topic of the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution, will happen on May 25th.

Article 40.3.3 of the Irish Constitution, commonly known as the 8th amendment, states,

“The states acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

The Amendment was added to Article 40 of the Irish Constitution which outlines, “fundamental rights,” and equality for all people. And in adding this amendment, guarantees the right to life of unborn person(s).

The referendum vote, happening on the 25th, will be the sixth time Ireland has gone to the polls over its abortion laws since 1983, following the ratification of the 8th Amendment.

Leading up to this referendum, the debate has been heated. Pro-Life and Pro-Choice activists have been making their opinions known to all who will listen.

And in the midst of this, the leftist Pro-Choice abortion arguments, that are commonly seen in U.S., have been on full display.

Specifically, the two signature Pro-Choice slogans of, “My body, my choice,” and “No uterus, no opinion.”

I want to discuss the latter of the two claims because it is as common as it is erroneous. The claim is commonly made that men cannot have an opinion on the abortion debate because they are not women, and are not physically able to carry a child.

Exhibit A:

Still canny believe men are allowed to vote in a referendum on abortions

— Shiv1312 (@shiv_mc27) May 23, 2018

Exhibit B:

I’m not a woman, so I’ll never need to have/ want an abortion… So with that I don’t have a valid opinion in this fight.

It just feels like it’s something that men shouldn’t get to vote on.

— G (@rastamiller) May 23, 2018

Exhibit C:

im so confused why do men get a say in whether abortions should be banned or not?? they can’t even carry a child.

— matilde (@matilderosax) May 23, 2018

These claims are all too common, and they all have one thing in common. They are all predicated on the idea that experience confers expertise, an idea that is present in most leftists arguments, an idea that is entirely illogical.

Biological features and experiences that a human being possesses have no bearing on the validity of their opinion. The validity of one’s opinion is reliant solely upon the factual basis it has or does not have.

For example, if you are going into surgery and have to chose who operates on you, a medical expert or a random person off the street, who are you going to chose?

The medical expert, obviously, because they spent years studying the facts pertaining to and science surrounding the human body to aide them in their career of operating on human beings.

There is no debate here, any other choice would be ignorant.

By that same logic, if you are looking for an opinion on when human life begins, who should you listen to?

A medical expert, in specifically that field, an embryologist?

Or someone simply because they have the ability to carry a child or have carried a child?

Obviously, the medical expert, the embryologist, who knows all the facts and science pertaining to the field.

Then why do we not listen to the embryologist(s)?

In the latest addition of The Developing Human, embryologists Keith Moore, T. V. N. Persaud, and Mark Torchia definitively state that life begins at conception.

“Human development begins at fertilization when a sperm fuses with an oocyte to form a single cell, the zygote.”

So, in closing, people of Ireland and across the world, please disregard the typical leftist slogan of, “No uterus, no opinion.” The biological sex of a human being has no bearing on the validity of their opinion. And to state otherwise, is not only misguided, but overtly sexist. The validity of one’s opinion is reliant solely upon the the factual basis it has. And the fact is, life begins at conception.

Ireland, don’t repeal the 8th amendment. Re-affirm what science tells us, that life begins at conception, and protect the lives of the unborn.