Holding the Tensions: Female Bodily Integrity as an Intrinsic Good

Abstract

To engage in more constructive abortion discourse, Catholics must get better at recognizing and sitting with moral tensions. We learn early on, for example, that abortion is intrinsically evil because it violates the right to life of a fetus. And yet—violations of bodily integrity are also considered intrinsic evils in our faith tradition. So why do Catholics often struggle to take seriously arguments that prioritize the bodily integrity of women who are pregnant? The Church should affirm the intrinsic dignity of female bodies—even during pregnancy, and even as we recognize that the bodies of women offer particularly compelling insights into our fundamental relationality. The black and white, dualistic, approach to abortion legislation that characterizes much Catholic discourse must be left behind, not to diminish our commitment to the dignity of the unborn, but to recognize the equal import of women. Only through affirming the bodily integrity of women can we begin to hold these tensions and participate in well-rounded, empathetic discourse.