Debate: Pro-life: Argue that abortion is immoral.?

Question

READ CAREFULLY: This question is for Pro-Lifers ONLY. I am trying to see whether Pro-lifers/anti-abortionists OR Pro-choice/pro-abortionists can give the best arguments for their position on abortion. I have made TWO separate questions, one for each side. For the Pro-abortion side, get out of here, and find the Debate: Pro-life question. I understand that some people are somewhere in the middle. Please answer the one that applies the MOST to your position on this issue. I am looking for arguments, not only opinion statements. Explain your reasoning for your position to show that you rationally hold your position. I am asking a MORAL and thus philosophical question here.

Correction: Pro-abortionists: Get out of here, and find the Debate: Pro-choice question.

I strongly believe that abortion is immoral.

No, I am not pregnant.

Here is a list of my main reasons for my pro-life or anti-abortion stance.

Abortion draws attention away from important social issues that can influence the woman's choice to abort. If society were to first solve these issues, there would be no need to see abortion as an alternative. These issues include poverty or lack of economic resources; lack of social support; for example, lack of family support, lack of support in the workplace, such as, inadequate maternity policies at work, socially contingent time management problems, for example, the incompatibility some women find between obtaining career success and child rearing; coercion from the father when he does not want the pregnancy to continue; and potential social stigma for being a single mother.

Abortion reinforces oppression in our world. Abortion reinforces sexism-More females get aborted than males, and abortionist policies don't recognize the reproductive rights of men (the fathers). Abortion reinforces racism-Coloured mothers are driven by their proportionately more disadvantaged circumstances to abort more often than whites.
Abortion reinforces classism-Economically disadvantaged women are more likely to abort, and abortion draws attention away from the need to solve the poverty that can influence the choice to abort.

Abortion reinforces ageism-Abortionists view the unborn as too young to have rights in two ways.
(1) Abortionists temporally discriminate: Society arbitrarily demarcates what should be considered the time of birth. The concept 'birth' is culturally constructed and socially contingent, and thus lacks internal construct validity.
(2) Abortionists discriminate against "unborn" human beings based on psycho-developmental and bio-developmental stage differences. They perceive the "unborn" as too under-developed, while they choose what "developed enough" means to fit with society's arbitrary concepts "birth" and "personhood."

The abortionist position is fallacious. It question begs by definition, that is, it assumes that the pro-abortionist way of defining "birth" and "human being" are the only ways. Abortionist definitions of "birth" and "human being" suffer from lack of objectivity, since it is possible to define birth in other and more scientifically valid ways. I prefer the view the birth of the human being occurs at the time of conception, because at that time genetic development is put in motion. By scientific fact, from the time of conception, one is a human being in the process of developing. Lacking scientific basis for their view of what a human being is, abortionists dehumanize the "unborn." When abortionists recognize the right to choose what happens with one's body, they recognize the existence of the woman's body only, and ignore the developing human body within the pregnant woman.

They do not permit anyone to represent the life interests of the distinct human body growing within the mother.

Abortion contributes to population size control to the disadvantage of unborn females, visible minorities, and poor people, and thus abortion is a eugenicist practice.

Pro-choice people need to recognize that the woman's choice to abort is neither completely free when abortion is legal nor completely unfree when it is illegal. Oppressive social factors, such as the ones I mentioned earlier, in the woman's situation influence her choice and thus the degree of freedom of her choice. If women are willing to risk their own life while killing another through abortion that is their choice, and outlawing abortion cannot take that choice away from them, for; they can still choose to abort illegally. However, society has no moral obligation to minimize the risk that women take when they illegally kill their unborn, for, they are committing an immoral act.

Answer 1

I don't agree with the idea of abortion. It's not because of a religious thing and it's not just 'killing babies is wrong.' I know many women say that they have the right to their body but to me, that means you have the choice of not getting pregnant in the first place. Obviously, there are many pregancies that are not planned so the woman did not 'choose' to become pregnant, but once you are, that is a person in there. I know that many people take issue with 'when life begins' also. To me, if you are pregnant, except for the occasional medical circumstance, you are going to have a baby. It will come in a matter of months. Pregnant = baby. Abortion = no more baby. So that person who was absolutely going to be here is no longer here. It's not the same as if a woman chose not to get pregnant in the first place or, say, if she got rid of her eggs. Those eggs are not impregnated and they are not going to be a person in a few months. When it is impregnated, it will be a person.
Some people argue that it's the woman's body so she should say what does or does not happen to it or to reverse what happened to it in the case of pregnancy I guess. But I ask, what about the babies right to its body? That is a person. It's not about the cute little baby that everyone oohs and aahs over. It doesn't matter if the person is a saint on earth, a monster of a human being, or if they live their life alone in the woods with no contact with anyone. They are there and they have the right to their own life. We do not have the right to pick someone off the street and say, "You can't be around anymore because I don't want you or it causes problems for me." Some people will mention capitol punishment at this point. Those who are on death row had their life. They made the choices that they did that put them on death row in the first place. They knew what they were doing and they knew the laws of our land and the consequences of their actions. Some people may not like capitol punishment, I honestly don't know how I feel about it, but the fundamental difference between that and abortion is that with the death penalty, the person is facing the consequences for the choices they made, with abortion, the person who's life is ending did not make a choice. Their life or death is based completely on someone else determining their worth or value. That just doesn't sit right with me. All of the reasons I have heard for why people believe in abortion don't make sense to me. I understand where they are coming from and how they see it, it just seems like it focuses on one aspect of the issue instead of seeing it from all sides. They say it is not really a life yet, if it was taken out of the womb it would not survive on its own so it is not life. To me, it is absolutely going to be a life and from the very point of conception, it is changing and developing. There isn't one second that the fetus is not developing. And like I stated before, it is definitely going to be a baby, unlike an unfertilized egg that isn't doing anything. I also believe that people want to make it easier for them to go through with it. And understadably so, the decision to abort 90 something percent of the time is not an easy decision and is not made lightly or cavalierly. But I think that it still comes down to them trying to justify it so they feel better about what they did or want/intend to do. And I have sympathy for those who are in that position. I know that it is very difficult and there are so many things that make it almost impossible for the mother to feel like she can handle it. I do not diminish that in any way. However, are those issues worth what is or will be a person losing its life? Is it possible to say that those issues do not come down to, for lack of a better word, selfishness? And I know 'selfish' sounds harsh, but I cannot think of another word that truly articulates the idea I'm trying to express. Basically, the mother has her reasons of why she does not want this in her life, whether it be the baby or the pregnancy itself or what have you, but really, what are those things worth? Not that they are minor issues, but what are they really truly worth? Is it worth that person never reaching the world? And some say that they feel they are sparing the child a life of being up for adoption and possible bouncing from foster home to foster home or living their childhood in an orphanage. So, because there may be certain issues as a child they do not have a chance at their life? It's a favor to them that they not live at all? Those seem like justifications to me. Trying to justify the impossible. Trying to justify something that cannot really be justified. And it goes into the territory that one can determine the value of another's life. If they do not meet certain criteria, they then do not pass the test? No one has the right to decide if someone else is 'worth it.' All human beings are equal not one is better or less than another. Not one can decide that one who has not made any choices for themselves can no longer exist. (the death penalty thing again) I know that there are women who will continue to have abortions (even if it is illegal everywhere, some people will still find a way) and that does not make them bad people. They are not murderers per se, they are not monsters or heartless creatures. They are human beings that face a difficult time and I just so happen to not agree with that particular option. I would like it, though, if there are medical reasons that a pregnancy must be aborted for the health and life of the mother that a doctor can perform the abortion without the doctor or the mother facing charges for it. There are the certain instances where the pregnancy could kill the mother and to me, there is no sense in letting it go that far when you can save the mother's life and she may possibly have another child. Some people speak of women's rights. I feel that women have every right to not get pregnant in the first place. We have the choice to have a baby if we want to when we want to (if the body allows) and to not have a baby if we do not want to even if we never want to. We can choose to be in a relationship or not. We do not have to marry if we do not wish it. I believe we have control over everything except when you become pregnant. It's not about you any more. The person inside of you has just as much right to their body as you do. I don't think we would appreciate someone coming to us and telling us that they decided we didn't fit into whatever plan or list of things that make us worth it and so we are to lose our life. It doesn't make a difference if the life hasn't walked around and talked yet. I know this is really really long and I'm sorry for that but I hope that this is roughly what you were looking for. A detailed explanation of my opinion without the 'just because' answer. Best wishes to everyone including those who disagree with me. We all have the right to our opinions. Just like the right to our lives. Take care anyone who bothered to read this far!! O_~

Answer 2

It is somewhat of a determination of who is doing the killing for example:
Man driving drunk, hit pregnant woman riding her bike. Kills her and the baby both (true story)
He was sentenced to murder of two people, yet when a women kills her unborn child by choice it is considered her choice.

Another example: Cat gets taken into vet office to get fixed .. Vet can't fix the cat because it is expecting (animal rights would be all over him)

We as a society put more value on an animal's life then an innocent child's.

I am tired of hearing of the little girl that gets raped and shouldn't have to bare the torture .. Do you know the numbers of children that are getting abortions? The vast majority has an abortion as a means of birth control .. or the birth control didn't work.

Murder is Murder and it is plain and simple. Doesn't matter if it is the mother's choice to kill her child (ask Susan Smith) or if it is the drunk that kills the child.

To not value a child's life is cold and that person can talk to a woman that has been through an abortion to see how she lives with her choice on a daily basis!

God Bless the Children!

Answer 3

The baby is alive, a living creature. It's been proven that fetus' do feel pain, so abortion is not painless for them. I think society needs to concentrate on preventing more pregnancies, and adoption is always an option. The instant an egg and sperm join, a new person is formed, complete with new genes and chromosomes. It's not a cancer or a growth, it's a whole new being. Just because it can't live on it's own yet doesn't mean it should be able to be killed for a woman's comfort. We don't have the option to "pull the plug" on everyone on life support without legal proceedings, and they can't live without it! Women seeking abortions should have to go through as much legal proceedings as these families.

I don't see how a woman could get an abortion at 25 weeks gestation and be legal, but if she gives birth to it at 25 weeks gestation & kills it in the NICU, she's arrested for it. It's the same to me, just a different environment. A 25 week gestation fetus has no rights, but a 25 week gestation infant does? A baby should be safer inside the mom than outside.

However, I don't see the point in carrying a fetus to term who's just going to die anyway, i.e., one who's been proven to have an abnormality incompatible with life like hydrocephaly.

Answer 4

I believe that morals and philosophy do not always mix very well. In fact, I believe a full stream of philosophers have tried to boot God out of their considerations for over a century.

Morals in general are opinions. They try to find meaning in texts. So you should find your answer in the Bible, the Torah, or the Qur'an for example. Pick a page at random. Treat it as a metaphor. You have your justification. Just cite "The Book" (literal translation of "The Bible").

You will very soon find out that pro lifers and pro lifers look at different lives. The pro lifers that are for the mother, give her the choice. The pro lifers that do not take into consideration the mother are for the baby.

One other interesting thing is the time span considered in the arguments. The first pro lifers look at the life of the baby after it is born - I think a very effective campaign was "Life doesn't stop at birth". Ie, it's nice to be against all abortions, but you will also need to support the mother so she doesn't get so sick that the baby dies, and then support the parents and the baby/kid/teenager so he./she doesn't starve, doesn't get insanely sick, etc. It's a 25 year commitment you're giving people here.
On the other hand, the 2nd pro lifers, that are for the foetus, typically look at the 3months that become 9 months of incubation. I have seldomly talked to people who were for life and for all the social services that came with it. Just consider that though: life doesn't stop at birth. Not nourrishing a kid, giving it proper vaccines, etc. is also a crime.

Good luck in your quest for deciding on other peoples' lives!

Answer 5

You are not pregnant. You've never been pregnant.
Effectively, you're strictly speaking from an observer's point of view.

A man kills another out of spite. He took a life.
A soldier kills an enemy on a battlefield. He took a life.
Should they not all be put on trial? After all, they all did kill someone.

A woman gets caught for theft.
She plead with you. She really needed the money to buy food for her hungry kids.
Would you call in the authorities and have her locked away irregardless?

Your best friend painted a picture and asked of your opinion of it. It is beyond mediocre. Would you tell her that she should really stick to her day job?
No matter what you say or how you say it, its unlikely to be the honest truth.
Morality doesn't come into question here. Why?

What is right, what is wrong. Who decides?

Can you say for certain that you can and will maintain your stance on abortion if it happened to you?

There is not moral or immorality, or right and wrong in any action and/or decision. Only the question of which whether it was justifiable to do so.
And everyone has their own reasons for what they do.
It is not for everyone else to judge them for it.

Answer 6

A woman does have the right to choose. (yes I'm on the right question) However that right to choose is only valid prior to pregnancy. Women that have chosen to have sex, have consented to being a host for life. Their rights to terminate that life are suspect at best. The government likes to say that it champions the rights of the powerless, but who is championing the rights of these little non-registered voters?

As long as the possibility exists that a fetus is imbued with the quality known as life, no mother, court or any other body has the right to deprive it of that life or it's right to obtain sustenance until such time as it reaches a maturity to obtain such sustenance on it's own. The voluntary act of consensual sex admits to the possibility of becoming pregnant, in effect granting permission for pregnancy.

The baby once firmly established on the uterine wall, is a de facto resident with all the rights of a tenant in common, and should not be murdered as a method of eviction. (forgive me I just had to take a whack at both of them.)

Answer 7

How is this not immoral? I know some people think that killing an unborn child is not immoral but one day that child could have become someone famous or a genius. And why would you get an abortion. No matter how guilty you are of whatever happened the joy of being a mother is much greater. If you can't take care of the child there are such things as adoption centers. Its just wrong and definatly not ethical.

Answer 8

okay, here is the thing:

you don't have to agree with abortion, but you do not have the right to tell someone what they can and can not do with their body.

you own your body and you have the right to do what you want with it. at the time an abortion is done, it is not a baby, it has no feeling, no mind, no heart, no nothing. it is chemicals all mixed together.

please, please, please-you don't have to agree. because i certainly do not agree with abortion, but we all have our rights, and i will not try to control the life of someone i don't even know.

my own mother got an abortion when she was younger, not because she wasn't being safe, but because the condom broke and the birth control pills were not administered correctly by the doctor. in addition, my mother was married when she became pregnant. Adoption was not an option either, because she knew numerous people who were adopted and sexually abused, as well as people who never fully "grew up" because of their experiences as an "orphan". she was 23 and knew that she did not have the money, time, or life experience to raise a healthy, well educated human being. I'm not saying i agree with her decision, but i do believe she did what was right for her.

the main thing is, it is keeping the right of the individual that is moral, not taking it away.

Answer 9

im totally agianst abortions mainly BECUZ ITS MURDER WITH RIGHT TO KILL face it the little girl will live life no mAtter what and most people got knocked up on there own free will are the ones getting the aboration NOT THE LITTLE INNOCENT GIRL EVERY ONE OF THE POEPLE 4 ABORTIONS FACE IT ITS WRONG 2 WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT END OF STORY AND YES I HAVE A FRIEND THAT GOT RAPED GOT PREGANT AND HAD AN ABORITION BUT I STILL WASNOT ON HER SIDE AND SHE DIDNOT WANT THE ABORTION HER MOM MADE HER BECUZ IT WOULD RUIN HER LIFE SO WHAT ITS STILL KILLIN AND THE LAW DOESNT MAKE IT RIGHT . FACE IT PEOPLE UR DEALING WITH THE LIFE OF SOME ONE MORE INNOCENCE THAN U AND GOD GAVE THE MOTHER OF THE CHILD A RESPONSIBILTY TO KEEP IT SAFE SO ARE U DOING UR PART

Answer 10

In general abortion is wrong as most writers have written which is great.
The grey area is in situations like rape ... my opinion is take the girls view or if she would need help to look after the child later etc or wants the child given to adoption .... try all options of saving the baby unless the girl says she cant go through the pregnancy, then its a tough call to terminate it.