They were told they’d be better off aborted. Now they’re speaking out.

In the wake of Alabama’s passage of one of the most pro-life laws in the nation, social media has been host to a heated national debate on abortion. Social media exchanges have the advantage of being a space where everyone can be seen and heard. But when abortion activists argue that some defective people should be able to be killed for someone else’s choice, they have the disadvantage of being a space where everyone can be seen and heard.

When abortion supporters argue for abortion in particular cases, they are referring to real people who exist in the world. What they see as an abstract argument for an abortion in a particular case is an argument that these individuals  — whose mothers chose life — should not exist. And many of these people have been speaking out.

Regarding the pro-abortion argument that says,“I would rather a child be aborted than unloved and abandoned,” some who have been in foster care gave voice to their outrage:

Well-known pro-life activist Ryan Bomberger wrote and tweeted about how he was conceived in rape, pushing back against the exploitation of victims’ pain. Abortion neither un-rapes a woman, nor makes her forget her trauma. It doesn’t even protect her from being re-stigmatized. On the contrary, abortion is a perfect tool to enable a rapist to re-victimize a woman. And in a response to Bomberger’s tweet, one woman shared her heartbreaking experience of being pregnant after rape.

The daughter of a single mom who became a pregnant teenager also spoke up for her existence and was attacked for it. Those who missed the point declared it is better for someone to exercise choice than to respect the daughter’s inherent right to exist.

Destiny Herndon-De la Rosa of New Wave Feminists told the story of her mother. As a teenage mom, what she needed was strength, support, someone to believe in and empower her, rather than tear her down and tell her she wasn’t strong enough without abortion. This idea has been key to New Wave Feminists: support women and build them up. “You are strong enough to do all this on your own, if need be,” says a card published by the organization. “There’s a new life inside of you right now. And you are the only one who can save it. You can do this. And we are here to help. Be a hero. Save your child’s life.”

Earlier in the week, actress Jameela Jamil declared she had had an abortion, and that it was “the best decision she ever made … for the baby [she] wasn’t ready for.” This is another instance of the argument “better dead than in foster care.” A user pointed out that if one is alive, one can meet people and grow, and that adopted lives are worth living.

Often, the loudest and most urgent cry from the pro-abortion side is the ability for women to have abortions for babies with health problems, even though for certain issues, like spina bifida, amazing intrauterine surgery is available to help give babies the best chance at life. But according to some, they should be allowed to be killed on account of their disability, which is nothing short of ableism. Despite her illness, one Twitter user said that she is not better off dead.

And finally, while he didn’t make his presence known on social media, Frank Stephens’ testimony to Congress on the value of living a life with Down Syndrome still stands as a powerful witness to those all too frequently aborted.

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