So Much for "My Body, My Choice"
A Prestigious Philosophy Journal Just Argued for Forced Abortion on Minors. The Media Said Nothing.
“My body, my choice” has been an anthem for the pro-abortion movement, growing out of feminist abortion-rights activism in the U.S. in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Early versions like “It’s my body; it should be my decision” and “My body, my decision” appeared in protest coverage around 1969–1970, before evolving into the slogan we know today.
Today it is repeated almost as an involuntary response during any abortion debate, like when a doctor taps your knee to check your reflexes.
But when a movement is built on the illusion of bodily autonomy — to cover for its lack of respect for life and to evade moral responsibility — it’s not surprising that the time would come for that same movement to toss the slogan aside. Enter: a 31-page peer-reviewed argument for chemically or physically restraining a girl to end her pregnancy against her will. For her own good, of course.
Good-bye, “My body, my choice.” Hello, “Do as you’re told, honey.”
What the Paper Actually Says
The article was published in Ethics, the University of Chicago’s flagship philosophy journal, authored by Kimberley Brownlee — Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Political & Social Philosophy at UBC — and Alyssa Izatt, a UBC PhD candidate in moral philosophy.
