Is Abortion Vegan?

I've met many vegans who are pro-abortion. One famous YouTube vegan, Durian Rider, has said, "If you want to have an abortion, have an abortion." I usually agree with Durian Rider on most issues, especially when it comes to protecting animals and following your dreams. However, I disagree with him on this issue. How can you protect dogs, cats, dolphins, pigs and chicken's eggs - and then make a careless statement like this about babies in the womb? In other words, why are other animals prioritized over humans?

As a long-term vegetarian, I believe that the idea of protecting animals from pain and suffering is consistent with being pro life. One argument made against eating eggs and milk is, "It's not yours, so don't take it." If milk and eggs are this valuable, then isn't the life of an unborn baby? I believe that unborn babies are fragile, beautiful and valuable. This, to me, is consistent with a vegetarian philosophy which seeks to minimize harm to all animals - including humans.

I am not of the philosophy that says - once a child is born, we can simply ignore it. After living in China for several years, I have witnessed horrible pollution that is cutting lives short, especially because of lung cancer. Therefore, air, food and water pollution issues are also pro-life issues. All creatures will benefit from a more peaceful and toxic-free world. We also benefit from programs and an education system that help lift people out of poverty and violence. Pro-life issues do not end at birth.

Some religious preachers may say, "Human beings are the only valuable species to God. Animals are here for our pleasure." I would rather emphasize that we should view eating meat as a last resort. We should begin to acknowledge the death and suffering that we cause. We should do our best to minimize this pain and suffering, realizing that animals - like humans - experience real pain and real joy.

After putting away the steak knives, we must also put away the abortion knives and  poisons and come to the realization: Abortion is not vegan.

Are Christian Vegetarians Weak in Faith?

"One person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong." - Romans 14:2-4 (NLT)

The above phrase "sensitive conscience" is translated by the NIV version of the Bible as "weak in faith". This is almost certainly a poor translation, since it is the only translation which calls vegetarians "weak in faith".

Another indication that it is a poor translation is the fact that Paul promotes avoiding meat later in the same letter. "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble" (Romans 14:21).

It is possible that Paul was addressing an attitude of arrogance among certain Christian vegetarians. If these vegetarians were becoming arrogant about their diet, then their "weak faith" was leading them to condemn other Christians.

It's important to note that the Bible is filled with vegans, and not once are they condemned (Link). This passage in Romans is not any different. It's more likely that Paul was addressing a growing amount of division based on dietary laws.

In conclusion, this passage was not written to arrogantly condemn Christian vegetarians. Rather, Paul's entire point was exactly the opposite. "Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t."