It's my body, so it's my choice; nobody has the right to decide what I can and can't do with my own body.
Sadly, this statement is used and accepted even though it is disproved by science and is also a misunderstanding of the law.
Scientific Aspect: A human being normally has 46 chromosomes - two pairs of 23, one set from the mother and one from the father - that make them a unique individual. The zygote, the very first stage of human life, has 46 chromosomes as well, and they are not the same as the mother's. Therefore, the zygote, and any stage of life after, is a unique, individual human separate from the mother.
But it's not separate because it can't live without the mother!
I'll get to that after the law part.
(US) Law Aspect: You DO NOT have the right to do whatever you want to with your body IF it infringes on the right to another individual's life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness. Self-defense excluded, you are not allowed to use your body to injure or kill those who do not want to be injured or killed. Assault, battery, and murder are illegal even if you use your own body to do so.
Bonus argument: It's not separate because it can't live without the mother.
Let's be more specific. A zygote self-directs its own growth at the direction of its own DNA, the mother is not needed for this. However, the zygote cannot live without what the mother provides: nourishment and a proper environment. Modern technology cannot provide these things...
Yet.
So the question arises, if it could survive outside the womb and inside of an artificial construct, would we label it as a human then and worthy of rights?
We already have the answer in our current definition of viability. If it is viable outside of the womb, even though it needs extra care and a controlled environment, we restrict abortions to the discretion of doctors in cases of life to the mother.
An individual's life should not be lessened in any way based on their dependence on, or our lack of, technology.
It really is that simple.
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Again let me know if I left anything out!
Disagree? Tell me why!
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