Can Men Not Comment on Abortion in Vegan Theology? By Dr Chapman Chen
- Chapman Chen
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Someone commented that it is inappropriate for men to tell women what they should do with their own bodies, lives, and souls. They also objected to linking veganism with abortion, even if they themselves are vegan. From their perspective, men should first take responsibility for building a society in which women, children, and families are genuinely protected — emotionally, financially, legally, and socially — before making moral judgements about abortion.
Our response is as follows:
From a Vegan Theology perspective, all innocent life belongs ultimately to God, not to us. Genesis 1:29 presents God’s original vegan ideal before violence, bloodshed, and domination entered the fallen world. The Kingdom ethic of Christ consistently moves humanity back toward compassion, mercy, and protection of the weak.
We fully acknowledge that men bear enormous responsibility before God to create loving, safe, faithful, and economically stable families and societies. Men who exploit, abandon, abuse, or irresponsibly impregnate women commit grave moral wrongs.
At the same time, Vegan Theology also asks whether pre-born human life — like innocent animal life — deserves compassion and protection precisely because they are weak, voiceless, and vulnerable.
The question is therefore not “men controlling women,” but whether the strong have a moral duty before God to protect vulnerable life.
Moral truth is not determined by sex. Moral arguments stand or fall on their reasoning, not on the sex of the person making them. Women may rightly speak against war, animal slaughter, violence toward men and children, or male suicide, male homelessness, male circumcision, fatherhood, and other issues affecting men. Likewise, men may also speak about abortion because fathers, mothers, children, and society are all involved in the creation and protection of life. And many obstetricians are male. If only directly affected people may speak on an issue, then people could not advocate for animals, the poor, refugees, prisoners, or future generations either.
Without male and female participation together, no babies — born or unborn — would exist at all. Therefore, moral responsibility toward vulnerable human life cannot belong exclusively to one sex alone. As vegans, we already reject the idea that power gives absolute ownership over weaker beings. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” says Jesus (Matt 25:40). Vegan Theology simply extends that same principle of compassion consistently.
People may disagree, but these questions deserve serious theological reflection rather than hatred or gender warfare.
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