For the purpose of disclosure, I consider myself a pragmatic progressive but not a radical liberal who obsesses over divisive identity politics.
If you were to ask someone with only a cursory understanding of American politics to infer where conservatives and progressives stand on abortion, their most logical assumption—based on each ideology’s core principles—would likely be the opposite of reality. One would expect conservatives, who champion individual liberty and oppose government overreach, to be staunchly pro-choice, while liberals, who emphasize the preservation and protection of life, to align with pro-life and anti-abortion positions.
At its core, conservatism is rooted in the belief that government should not dictate personal decisions or infringe upon individual autonomy. The right consistently argues that the state should have minimal control over people’s lives, particularly in matters of personal freedom. By that logic, one would reasonably assume conservatives would oppose any law restricting a person’s right to choose, embracing reproductive rights as a fundamental extension of their commitment to personal liberty.
Similarly, progressives and liberals in American culture have historically championed the cultivation, protection, and preservation of life, often advocating for efforts to minimize harm and prevent unnecessary death. This aligns with the classic and I would argue positive liberal stereotype of the “tree-hugging hippie”—a lover of nature, peace, and all living things. Given this fundamental worldview, one might reasonably expect liberals to be staunchly pro-life, opposing abortion on the grounds of preserving human life just as they advocate for environmental conservation, opposition to the death penalty, and other life-affirming causes.
I’ve always found it paradoxical that the political stances on abortion have been assigned to ideologies that, on their face, seem to contradict them. The same conservatives who vehemently oppose government interference in their personal lives—the libertarians who decry any state intrusion as tyranny—are often the loudest voices in favor of government regulation over reproductive choices. Conversely, liberals who frequently advocate for government intervention in economic and social policies adopt a distinctly libertarian stance when it comes to bodily autonomy, echoing the familiar refrain: “Keep the government out of my life! Don’t tell me what I can or cannot do with my body!”
This ideological inconsistency on both sides has always struck me as peculiar. It seems that, on the issue of abortion, neither the left nor the right adheres strictly to the principles they so passionately defend in other aspects of governance and personal liberty.
As someone who considers himself a pragmatic progressive as it describes my own personal morals, principles that I held long before I embraced the teachings of Jesus that I hold dear. As someone who supports human life and the proliferation of more life, I cannot, in good conscience, condone or advocate for any lifestyle or life decisions that prevent the creation of more life—this also applies to abortion. I do not believe that human life, at any stage, is an expendable cost or an inevitable consequence of existence. It is difficult for me to reconcile how those who stand against unnecessary death—who fight against war, capital punishment, and systemic violence—can turn a blind eye to the immense number of preventable deaths that occur through abortion. To me, the termination of human life is not only a moral issue but a fundamental violation of human rights I so adamantly support.
That said, the insistence on an unrestricted right to “do whatever I want with my body”—a notion championed by what are essentially the libertarians of the left—is a slippery slope, one that should have been questioned more critically from the start. The belief in absolute bodily autonomy, detached from any ethical or moral considerations, is not rooted in justice but in ego. And when left unchecked, it is no surprise that such a philosophy has led humanity down a path of moral ambiguity.
At the heart of the ego lies its insatiable need for control—over our bodies, our choices, and our lives. Yet true growth, higher consciousness, and unity with the universe are not found in the relentless pursuit of personal autonomy but in the ability to relinquish control, to recognize the interconnectedness of all life, and to act with humility and reverence toward it.
Being a pro-life leftist, however, places myself in a uniquely marginalized position within American discourse. On one hand, the mainstream left often condemns you for opposing abortion—even though you share much of their broader progressive vision—accusing you of being a misogynist. On the other hand, mainstream Christian Republicans reject you for not aligning with their party, despite their platform diverging from Jesus’s teachings of loving thy neighbor, renouncing violence, and welcoming strangers. For those Republican Christians who wonder why I choose not to affiliate with their party, the answer is simple: the teachings of Jesus resonate far more with the left and progressive ideals than the current Republican agenda.
I cannot be the only pro-life progressive leftist, can I? I am tired of being labeled as someone who despises women and their rights simply because I stand in defense of human life and human rights. In my view, true human rights are inherently grounded in the right to life—a principle that I have upheld since long before I embraced the teachings of Jesus.
The insistence that we have the right to do whatever we want with our bodies is closely tied to the belief that we can define and dictate all fundamental aspects of ourselves. This arises from an ego that seeks absolute authority and control over reality itself.
True spiritual awakening, across various traditions, shares a common theme: relinquishing control to a higher spiritual plane of the universe (the holy spirit/the quantum field) rather than allowing the ego to dictate every aspect of existence. Liberation from a toxic ego comes through humility—by surrendering to the very real divine spirit of the universe rather than clinging to an illusion of total self-control.
As a staunch leftist, I place a significant amount of blame for Trump’s resurgence on the extremism from the left. His victory was, in part, fueled by the backlash against what many perceive as ideological excesses, which alienated swaths of the electorate. If other leftists and progressives who can also identify with me, being pro-life because it compliments other progressive beliefs that promote preservation and protection of life in all areas of life, then we can eventually disarm the American right wing from one of their most powerful weapons and supporters, their pro-life base. If abortion is no longer the most powerful weapon the GOP has to attract and keep supporters, then really have nothing left. I’m sure others have met others who feel like they can ignore all the other inhumane injustices of the right wing because the issue most important and dear to them, is the protection of the lives of unborn children.
How the left abandoned human rights
I cannot help but wonder how progressives and liberals—ideological movements that claim to prioritize health, life, and the preservation of human rights—came to embrace a position so fundamentally at odds with those values. By any logical account, a political philosophy built upon the sanctity of life should have never aligned itself with the pro-abortion movement. Any argument that asserts a human right to life while simultaneously defending an inherent right to terminate another is a paradox.
Perhaps there are differing schools of thought regarding what constitutes ‘human rights’, but surely the preservation of life should be the first principle of any serious human rights agenda. This leads to an unavoidable question: How did a political movement that so passionately defends human dignity come to champion a cause that permits the deliberate termination of human life—sometimes for reasons as trivial as personal inconvenience?
In retrospect, the answer seems painfully clear. The abortion debate was strategically framed as a women’s rights issue, portraying women as victims while conveniently sidestepping the glaring contradiction it posed to the broader human rights principles these same advocates held dear. The conversation largely ignored the most voiceless and vulnerable victim in this equation: the unborn child, whose life was deemed expendable by those who considered it worthless. The sheer mental gymnastics required to argue that an unborn baby’s life holds no intrinsic value has always been deeply unsettling to me. And yet, in a perverse irony, the defense of abortion has often been driven by a sense of victimhood—women seeing themselves as oppressed within this debate, even as they made decisions that erased the existence of another human being.
As a progressive and leftist, I have long observed similar contradictions in the political stances of the right. However, the left’s support for abortion stands as one of the most glaring ideological betrayals. It is a paradox as brazen as Christian conservatives disregarding the plight of the poor and sick, despite the core tenets of their faith commanding them to care for the vulnerable. In fact, I would equate this left wing betrayal to protect life to the very same conservatives who refused to wear masks during a global pandemic—prioritizing personal convenience over the protection of human life.
Abortion is not a women’s rights issue; it is a human rights issue. And as such, it should be impermissible except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. Any policy decision should be guided by a singular principle: the unwavering commitment to protecting human life—whether that means rejecting abortion or accepting the minor inconvenience of wearing a mask in the midst of an international pandemic.
By framing abortion as a women’s rights issue and casting women as victims, its defense is celebrated as a triumph for gender equality—when, in reality, it constitutes a profound violation of human rights and the most fundamental right of all: the right to life.
I call on my fellow progressives and leftists to stand with me in the fight to abolish abortion—a cruel and inhumane practice that has, regrettably, become one of the most potent weapons in Donald Trump’s political arsenal. In his most recent election, far too many Christians and conservatives overlooked his blatant assaults on our other fundamental rights, choosing instead to rally behind him for the sole reason that he championed their cause against abortion.
By supporting the end of abortion, we would not only reclaim the moral high ground but also strip Trump of his most powerful tool for rallying support against Democrats. More importantly, it is the only ethical stance consistent with the broader human rights principles that the left so passionately defends.
For left leaning supporters of abortion please understand this is much more importantly a position of upholding and protecting human life and not our ego’s desire to do whatever we want even it is unethically wrong, even if you take religion out of the equation. While we certainly should protect our rights to do whatever we want, ending the life of another is not one of those rights.
At the end of the day, advocates for abortion need to honestly ask themselves if they feel a human life matters more than our individual freedom to take another life just because it’s in such early stage of development. The mental gymnastics utilized to argue why you’re not actually killing a human is always eyeroll inducing. The argument that abortion is somehow a victory for women everywhere is asinine when that victory is simply affording women the legal ability to end someone’s life which nobody has a right to do. For fellow leftists, your respect for human life should steer you on the path towards protecting and preserving it. It falls in line with the rest of progressive and leftist ideology. Endorsing and advocating abortion taints the progressive and leftist platform and is an actual dealbreaker for many voters who would otherwise vote democrat. For them, abortion is their own tentpole issue that matters more than anything and democrats continue to lose these voters who would otherwise be voting for them. This is arguably the one issue we need to meet halfway on and agree for the sake of protecting human life everywhere, which shouldn’t be the argument and battle that it has become in human society.
I can’t help but wonder if I am alone being the only leftist who is deeply uncomfortable with the idea of abortion being legal and accessible. If there is one silver lining in the otherwise nightmarish landscape of Trump’s re-election, it is, in my view, the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
I have no doubt that many individuals adopt the entirety of an ideology simply because they have embraced a label—whether it be liberal or progressive—and, in doing so, hesitate to question or challenge its more dominant narratives. To openly express opposition to abortion is to risk the wrath of those who see any dissent as an attack on women and their rights. Rather than engage in relentless ideological battles with those who view any defense of the unborn as misogyny, I suspect many choose silence over conflict.
Yet, advocating for the sanctity of life should not be misconstrued as an act of hatred. It is possible to champion human rights, equality, and compassion while also believing that the right to life is fundamental—even for the most vulnerable among us.
In alignment with the argument against movements that inherently obstruct the creation and continuation of life—the very essence, core, and spirit of the universe—it is crucial to recognize that the anti-vaccine movement that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic was equally anti-life, anti-empathy, and anti-compassion. The primary justifications for rejecting vaccines were rooted in self-interest, prioritizing personal convenience over the collective responsibility to safeguard life on a global scale. This disregard extended beyond vaccines; even the mere inconvenience of wearing a face mask became an insurmountable burden for those who, in their actions, demonstrated a fundamental indifference to human life. Thus, those who vehemently opposed COVID-19 vaccines—despite their potential to swiftly curtail a virus responsible for millions of deaths—yet claim to oppose abortion under the pretense of protecting life, expose a deep inconsistency and hypocrisy in their ideology. More on that argument can be found below
An authentic spiritual awakening to a higher state of consciousness is marked by the surrender of the ego’s grip on all control, yielding instead to a higher power in the universe—whether one calls it Zen Energy, Holy Spirit, or the Quantum Field (the scientific name for this verifiable and real force in the universe). This profound release can be achieved through deep spiritual practice, but it is also something that can be experienced firsthand through the use of psychedelics. I’ll never forget my partner’s reaction when she tried a small amount of psilocybin with me; she recoiled, saying, “No, I don’t like feeling like I no longer have control.”
Whether one relinquishes control through disciplined spiritual practice or through psychedelics, the outcome remains the same: a state of enlightenment and higher consciousness that the ego, in its constant insistence on control, normally obstructs.
This is not the same sense of reckless loss of control experienced in drunkenness or impulsivity; rather, it is a profound shift in awareness—an intentional dissolution of the ego’s illusion of dominance, allowing for a deeper connection with the universe.
The most remarkable truth, however, is that psychedelics are not a requirement for this experience. Every one of us possesses an innate ability to access this enlightened state of consciousness and connection with the universe voluntarily, as if an inner switch exists within all of us— just waiting to be activated—offering the ecstasy and bliss of unity that is all of our birthright, and it only takes letting go of our ego’s insistence of constant control.
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