Persuasive Pro Life: How to Talk about Our Culture's Toughest Issue

by Trent Horn

There are two fundamental problems with McDonagh’s argument. First, we consent to actions such as buying a lottery ticket or engaging in sexual intercourse, while we accept the consequences of those actions, such as winning the lottery or becoming pregnant. We can consent to actions, because they are within our control, but the consequences of those actions lie outside of our control and so don’t involve consent.213 True, we might engage in actions based on those consequences, such as giving away our lottery money or having an abortion, but those actions can then be judged as being right or wrong. I might consent to drinking and driving, and a consequence of that may be that I hit a pedestrian. I can’t say, “Well, I never consented to helping this poor fellow, so I’m just going to drive away now.” My duty to help him is a consequence that followed from the drinking I consented to. Likewise, when a man and woman consent to sexual behavior, their duty to help the child they create is a consequence they either rightfully accept or wrongfully reject.