Induced Abortions for Personal Reasons ought to be Illegal in the United States

Good luck to my opponent and may the best argument win. ______ Definitions: Abortion -noun 1. a. Termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival. "Induced Abortion" b. Any of various procedures that result in such termination and expulsion. (http://dictionary.reference.com...) "Personal Reasons" - For the purpose of this debate, personal reasons will incorporate the following common factors found to influence the decision of abortion as described by the 1998 AGI meta-study. 1) Desire to delay or end childbearing 2) Concern over the interruption of work or education 3) Issues of financial or relationship stability 4) Perceived immaturity. (http://en.wikipedia.org...) "Illegal" –adj. 1. forbidden by law or statute. (http://dictionary.reference.com...) ______ Defining a Human Being: Human Being -noun 1. any individual of the genus Homo, esp. a member of the species Homo sapiens. (http://dictionary.reference.com...) "A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are often used, such as based on similarity of DNA or morphology." (http://dictionary.reference.com...) ______ The Human Embryo & Fetus: "The first sperm that penetrates fully into the egg donates its genetic material (DNA). The egg then polarizes, repelling any additional sperm. The resulting combination is called a zygote... Like every cell in the body, the zygote contains all of the genetic information unique to an individual, or a complete genome. Half of the genetic information residing in the zygote's nucleus comes from the mother's egg nucleus, and the other half from the nucleus of a single sperm." (http://en.wikipedia.org...) It is important to note that the zygote, from which the human fetus forms, contains a unique, individual set of genetic material (DNA) from both the mother and the father. - From the U.S. National Library of Medicine & National Institutes of Health - Embryo: -noun 2. the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception (http://www2.merriam-webster.com...) Fetus: -noun 2. a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth (http://www2.merriam-webster.com...) **For simplification (and character limits), throughout this debate I will refer to the individual in both stages (Embryo and Fetus) as a "fetus".** ______ Human Fetus is Human Being: Given the above, it is clear that the Human Fetus, unquestionably of the species Homo Sapien and containing an individualized set of DNA, is and must necessarily be considered a human being. ______ Human Rights in the United States: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." - United States Declaration of Independence It is clear from this statement that the United States was founded on the principle of a set of natural rights granted to all "men". We have come to realize that the term "men" does not specifically pertain to only those of the male gender, but to a broader definition of man. Man -noun 2. a member of the species Homo sapiens or all the members of this species collectively, without regard to sex: prehistoric man. (http://dictionary.reference.com...) However, we also understand that the concepts described in the Declaration were predicated on the theories of Social Contract. "By Jefferson's own admission, the ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence were commonly expressed throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.[5] John Locke's Second Treatise of Government is probably the predominant source from which Jefferson drew inspiration.[6]" (http://en.wikipedia.org...) Under the Social Contract there are circumstances where a human being, guilty of committing a crime, can and must forfeit some, if not all, of these natural rights. "Since rights come from agreeing to the contract, those who simply choose not to fulfill their contractual obligations, such as by committing crimes, deserve losing their rights, and the rest of society can be expected to protect itself against the actions of such outlaws. To be a member of society is to accept responsibility for following its rules, along with the threat of punishment for violating them. It is justified with laws punishing behavior that breaks the Social Contract because we are concerned about others harming us and don't plan on harming others."(http://en.wikipedia.org...) While we recognize the rights of the guilty must be revoked, there is no such circumstance for the innocent under this doctrine. An innocent human being, having done nothing to break the Social Contract, must therefore retain their natural rights in such a society. ______ Human Fetus is Innocent A human fetus must be considered innocent, as it has produced no behavior breaking the Social Contract and thus committed no crime. ______ Hierarchy of Natural Rights To understand the implications of rights between two innocent parties, we must recognize that the right to Life is paramount to both the right to Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Without Life, the latter rights are non-existent. It is therefore illegal, and rightfully should be illegal, to revoke the right to Life of an innocent human being, especially for the lesser rights of another, albeit innocent, human being's. It's clear that "Personal Reasons", as they have been defined in this debate, are categorically of the type: Pursuit of Happiness. Thus, they must not be considered superior to the right to life of a fetus (an innocent human being). ______ Inherent Risk and Undesirable Results While a woman is by no means "guilty" of unintentionally becoming pregnant, from a common sense standpoint, there was some rationalized acceptance of risk on her part. There is a conscious decision to have sex with the knowledge that a new human life could result. In the same way, if a person makes the conscious decision not to study, they run the risk of failing a class. As it is illegal for that person to take the life of a teacher for failing him from a class and impeding his education (pursuit of happiness), it should be illegal for a person to have an induced abortion of a fetus for any of the described personal reasons (pursuit of happiness). In both instances, the person brought the situation upon themself with at least a basic prior understanding of the potential for undesirable results. Killing an innocent human being is never an appropriate response for an improper decision having led to an undesirable result. ______ Self-Defense: Exclusion of Mother's Health & Rape We concede the right to self-defense, in-so-much as it is an innocent individual protecting its right to Life. Thus, a pregnancy which threatens the physical well-being (life) of a mother, must supersede the life of a fetus. Also, it is also clear that instances such as rape do occur in which the only self-defense from further trama exists after the event, in the form of an abortion. Because these fall within the scope of self-defense, they will not be relevant to this debate. _____ Conclusion It is considered immoral and illegal to revoke the right to Life of an innocent human being in the U.S., especially for the lesser rights of another. Therefore, throughout this debate, I will show why the same law ought to be extended to protecting fetuses from induced abortions for personal reasons.