Interview with Monica Snyder
Religious. Fundamentalist. Republican. This stereotype is how many people imagine pro-lifers.
Monica Snyder, an atheist and Executive Director of Secular Pro-Life, busts that stereotype in a two-part interview with Know Why Podcast, part of our Know About Pro-Lifers series. In this episode, Monica talks about Secular Pro-Life and uses her background in biology to weigh in on the fascinating discussions surrounding the beginning of human life and personhood. Ready for shattered perceptions and a biology lesson? Start listening, or keep reading!
An Organization for Non-Religious Pro-Lifers…And Everyone Else
Secular Pro-Life’s mission, according to its website, is to:
- Advance secular arguments against abortion;
- Create space for atheists, agnostics, and other secularists interested in anti-abortion work; and
- Build interfaith coalitions of people interested in advancing secular arguments.
People of various beliefs work with the organization. “To be blunt, we don’t actually care what your religious beliefs are, or your political views,” Monica told Know Why. “We care, if you want to work with us, to advance arguments against abortion that are accessible to people broadly speaking—so non-sectarian, non-partisan arguments against abortion.”
“To be blunt, we don’t actually care what your religious beliefs are, or your political views.”
Monica Snyder
Secular Pro-Life
Secular Pro-Life’s existence is a surprise to many people on both sides of the abortion debate. “One of the biggest stereotypes about pro-lifers is that they’re all religious fundamentalists, and so that’s what pro-choice people are expecting,” she said.
Other pro-lifers are sometimes surprised to find an organization dedicated to opposing abortion that is not faith-based, Monica explained. But she added that many religious pro-lifers have non-religious bases for their pro-life position, so aren’t as surprised to meet secular individuals who oppose abortion as well.
Life’s Beginning…Biologically Speaking
Science is what drew Monica to the pro-life argument. With an educational and professional background studying biology and working in a forensic lab, Monica said she enjoys “the scientific method—trying to come up with a question and test the hypothesis and figure out if it’s true or not.” She continued:
“What that means for the work I do with Secular Pro-Life, is a lot of times I will be looking at different factually verifiable claims having to do with the abortion debate, and trying to figure out what evidence there is or isn’t for them.”
One of the claims often made by pro-lifers is that life begins at conception, or fertilization.
“It is, yes, a biological fact that in terms of us as organisms, our life cycle begins at conception. That’s not a religious belief, that’s just straight biology,” Monica said, emphasizing that it’s important for everyone to understand this (and understand the difference between cells and organisms) before debating about abortion.
“It is, yes, a biological fact that in terms of us as organisms, our life cycle begins at conception. That’s not a religious belief, that’s just straight biology,”
Monica snyder
Secular Pro-Life
But she also said the debate between pro-lifers and those who are pro-choice isn’t just about biology. “The philosophy comes in when we ask ourselves, ‘Ok, is that human organism morally valuable? Is that human organism a person? Does that humans organism have rights?”
These questions about whether and when a particular human organism has value and rights—personhood—is where most of the abortion debate rests.
The Making of a Person
“Pro-choice people have a lot of different ideas for when a human becomes a person, but we find that they all involve some major, very scary flaws in the argument,” Monica said.
For instance, many pro-choicers argue that a human organism in the womb isn’t a moral person until they have certain cognitive functions, such as perception of pain. But that logic implies that many people who are already born—whether premature infants in some cases, or people with certain disabilities—don’t qualify for personhood either.
“I take great issue with a philosophy that results in not only the dehumanization of embryos and fetuses to justify an abortion, but the dehumanization of groups of people that the person speaking wouldn’t even agree with.”
So when do human organisms gain personhood? Many people of faith, such as Christians, base personhood on the biblical belief that all human beings are created with inherent value, “in the image of God.” But what about for people who aren’t religious?
Secular Pro-Life’s position, explained in detail with multiple links to scientific references on their website, is that all human organisms are valuable and that it is generally immoral to kill people.
In Part 2 of this interview, Monica explains her take on more important topics often raised in the abortion debate, including bodily autonomy and more.
Additional Resources