The Paradoxes of Pro-Life Feminism

This article examines the case for “Pro-Life Feminism” via a close reading of the original argument for it offered by Sydney Callahan in 1986. Although Callahan’s argument has received only positive treatment by pro-life academics, I argue that it fails to establish that opposition to abortion secures all aspects of the “full social equality” she advocates. I conclude with some remarks about whether and to what extent feminism is compatible with opposition to abortion.