Abortion and Social Consequences

Todd Epp has a piece on the Klaudt case and abortion cross posted on CCK.  Todd focuses on a particularly gruesome piece of news.  From KSFY:

The accusations explained in a 26 page affidavit are graphic. Investigators say Klaudt would tell the girls they could make thousands of dollars if they donated their reproductive eggs. Before they could be approved as donors, or paid, they had to pass certain fertility tests Klaudt would preform.

Todd interprets this in this way:

Besides all the alleged perversion and abuse of vulnerable girls in his care, Klaudt was looking at commoditizing the girls’ eggs for profit.

To which I reply: No he wasn't! He was feeding these girls a particularly stupid line. Unless other evidence comes to light, there is no reason to suppose that this crime had anything to do with profit.  It was all about sexual abuse, if the charges are true.   

Women are allowed to sell their eggs for profit.  I gather this is a great benefit to other women who need medical help to have children.  I have no objection to this and I'm guessing that Todd doesn't either.  If I am right, then Todd has no objection to turning eggs into a commodity and it confuses the issue to pretend otherwise. A case of sexual perversion does nothing to discredit this practice, or anything else.   

Todd also takes issue with Representative Roger Hunt's argument that abortion has been bad for South Dakota because it has further reduced our population.  This is obviously right, but I agree with Todd that the fundamental issue is one of human rights, not social consequences.  If some or all abortions are in fact infanticide, then they are wrong regardless of social consequences.  If not, then I suppose that individual liberty again trumps social outcomes. 

But the social consequences of abortion are not irrelevant, and both sides appeal to them.  Pro-choice advocates have long argued that abortion prevents unwanted children (surely that is true!), and that this has beneficial effects on society.  An argument has been made that the recent drop in crime is in significant measure due to the aborting of a lot of boys who would have become criminals.  I find that argument very disturbing for lots of reasons, but that doesn't mean that it is wrong.  If pro-choice advocates can make that argument, Representative Hunt can make his. 

I would be remiss not to recognize Todd's moderation.  He acknowledges that  the arguments he objects to are not shared by most pro-life advocates, and that is as fair as one can demand.