Moral perfectionism and abortion politics

This essay offers a new perspective on abortion politics by proposing that the background debate can be productively shifted from the question of the legal status of fetuses as potential persons to their religious status as potential souls (within a Christian framework). Such a deliberate turn toward metaphysics as an appropriate terrain for political contestation runs counter to a prevailing liberal doctrine-best articulated by John Rawls-that metaphysics, especially perfectionist notions, have little or no place within liberal political calculations. Rawls's shortcomings on the abortion debate are surveyed along with those of other recent commentators; and Christian theology on abortion is challenged by way of introducing some of Georges Bataille's notions of political economy. The Japanese practice of mizuko kuyo under Buddhism is offered at the end a, a comparative foil to Western political conflicts over abortion.