It is really awkward to make the case in favor of abortion. Whether you agree or don’t that life begins at conception, in the end it is a woman selfishly deciding against bringing that life to fruition. And women are not allowed to be selfish. We must instead be nothing but incubating vessels. And we sound heartless and cruel when we try to defend ourselves.

No matter the reason for seeking to abort, one thing remains constant: it is the decision of the woman. Judge not lest ye be judged? If you are a woman who is desirous of having children, that is your decision. We are not animals without free will. We decide. And if you are a woman who has decided, for whatever reason, not to bear children, that is your right. Or at least it was.

There are reasons beyond rape and incest that deter a woman from reproduction. For some, it is a psychological aversion to raising a child. For others, it may be the exposure to a dysfunctional family environment. And since no one is perfect, no one makes perfect life choices and no one outside a convent remains celibate. Birth control, of any kind, is not foolproof.

Ultimately, in order to make the case for reproductive rights, the argument must be that women are shameless and selfish hussies. Not overtly, of course. The argument must be clouded with the original argument that life begins at the point of conception, or if you will, when egg meets sperm and says “I do”. But, in truth, at that moment, the only beginning is the potential for life. Not all pregnancies make it to term through the natural course of gestation. And there’s the rub.

To put it Vegas terminology, life is a crap shoot. Some win, some lose, but everyone who plays the game knows that going in.