Abortion Arguments Objectives 1.Identify the main “pro choice” arguments and refute them

To Begin: Abortion is unlike any other issue debated today. Millions of American women have aborted a child, and the pain, loss, and emotional need to justify what was done, both on the part of the mother and on the part of her loved ones, is strong and deep. This means that, in any debate, you may face an invisible thumb on the scale so that even the best logic will fail to persuade. The best you can do is arm yourself with the facts and deliver them in what you hope will be a winning way for your audience -- meaning you will need to make your case, in most instances, not in the language of faith or religion but in the language of the post-modern secularist.

Back Alley Butchers Most abortion prior to 1972 done by doctors in the office # of maternal deaths from illegal abortions in 1972= 39 Lets remove the reasons which drive women to do this Even in a country with legal abortion, women still go to the “Back Alley”

Woman’s Body It’s not her body Separate blood system –Mothers and baby’s blood don’t even touch Different gender? Unique DNA Your rights are not unlimited Your rights over your body end when it affects another

Rape About 100/year Contraceptives are legitimate Abortion does not erase the rape Don’t punish the child for the crimes of its’ father Better mental health outcome for women who give birth to the child

Public Opinion Be prepared to cite these and other public opinion polls from various organizations (the last bullet point is crucial, it means only a small minority of Americans agree with Roe): 61% of Americans say abortion should be illegal after the fetal heartbeat has begun,[29]which occurs in the first month of pregnancy. 72% of Americans say abortion should be illegal after the first 3 months of pregnancy.[30] 86% of Americans say abortion should be illegal after the first 6 months of pregnancy.[31] Only 6% -17% of Americans (depending on how the question is asked and by whom) believe abortion should be legal at any time, in all circumstances.[32] One of the best surveys to have in your arsenal was conducted by the Center for Gender Equality, run by former Planned Parenthood President Faye Wattleton. Its 2003 nationwide survey of women revealed that a majority of women (51%) believe abortion should either never be permitted or permitted only for rape, incest, or life endangerment.[33]

Population Control It is a poor society that must kill its children Replacement birth rate 2.1/woman in childbearing years 1.8 since the 1980’s Other countries even worse Why is there starvation? World population could fit into Texas with a density less than Brooklyn!

29] Zogby International Poll, April 15-17, [30] Humphrey Taylor, "The Harris Poll #18," Harris Interactive, Inc., March 3, [31] Ibid. [32] A recent Marist Poll/Knights of Columbus survey found that only 6% of Americans believe "abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy." See "Abortion in America," Marist Poll/Knights of Columbus, July 2009, accessed March 16, 2011, kofc.org/un/en/news/releases/detail/ html. Another survey found that 17% believe "abortion should be legal in all cases. See "Religion and the Issues: Results from the 2010 Annual Religion and Public Life Survey," Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, September 17, 2010 (17% believe "abortion should be legal in all cases"), accessed March 16, 2011, ics/Issues/Politics_and_Elections/immigration-en-vironment-views- fullreport.pdf. [33] Seventeen percent (17%) said abortion should never be permitted; 34% said abortion should be permitted only for rape, incest, or life endangerment. See Princeton Survey Research Associates on behalf of the Center for Gender Equality, "Progress and Perils: How Gender Issues Unite and Divide Women, Part Two," (April 7, 2003): 9-10.