Pro-Choice/Pro-Life

Pro-Life Argument:1. "The fetus is a human being from the moment of conception; this means abortion is murder, which is immoral and should be illegal."Pro-Lifers' main argument against abortion is the "fact" that life begins at conception. This cannot be known as a true fact as there is no clear point at which life begins. A fact can be defined as "something that actually exists; reality; truth:something known to exist or to have happened:a truth known by actual experience or observation". This definition will be sufficient for both arguments. For this argument, I will use an analogy. For the sake of the argument, let's use blue and purple. We all know purple isn't blue and blue isn't purple. So, once we leave the blue area, there must be a point at which it becomes purple. Of course there's no straight answer as to where it becomes purple, except in the purple itself. Everyone would have a different definition as to when blue becomes purple. This is the same way people think with life. For Pro-Lifers, life begins at conception, meaning they believe as soon as an egg is fertilized, boom, life. If that is the case, more people should be focused on stopping in-vitro fertilization as many eggs fail to implant, and using Pro-Life logic, that would be the death of a child. Pro-life's argument that life begins at conception can't be completely correct as there isn't one true way to decide the moment a clump of cells becomes a human life, just as there isn't a clear point to decide where blue becomes purple.My argument is that as there is no proof life begins as conception, this is not a valid argument against abortion. It is simply an assumption based on religious beliefs, which have no place in the legal system. 2. "Many religions do not endorse abortion or certain forms of birth control."This argument brings religion into play. Our society has a separation of church and state, and this argument infringes upon it. Religion, no matter how strongly you may feel, has no place in any medical or lawful discussion as there's no solid proof a god exists. Laws imposed by religion, not factual evidence, have an effect on a wide range of people with different kinds of belief systems, including Atheism, Agnosticism, and Hinduism. These laws would turn our country into a theocracy, thereby undermining what our country stands for. Freedom of religion is written in the Bill of Rights, so why is it right to subject the beliefs of a single (or small group of) religion on everyone? If we did make all religious law federal law, we would outlaw fish, make it legal to sell our daughters, and women would basically be property again.3. "If the pregnancy is the result of carelessness on the mother’s part..., she should have to deal with the consequences. It is ultimately her responsibility...to prevent pregnancy if both she and her male partner do not wish to conceive."This argument states that it's up to the woman to make sure pregnancy does not occur. The most common form of birth control is in the form of a pill and "when taken correctly, it is up to 99.9% effective." That still leaves a .1% chance pregnancy will occur. A study conducted in Sydney, Australia found, "Respondents were 544 men aged 18 to 54 years. Of these, 402 men reported using 13,691 condoms for vaginal or anal intercourse; 7.3% reportedly broke during application or use and 4.4% slipped off." Birth control and condoms are never 100% effective. There's no sure-fire way to prevent pregnancy without subtracting a basic human need (Maslow's Hierarchy of Basic Human Needs). This argument suggests pregnancy prevention is entirely up to the woman, which is an unfair assessment as there are two partners involved. This argument is also invalid in cases of rape as it is reported that 1 in 3 women will be victims of sexual violence in her lifetime. Does this mean that 33% of women should be forced to carry out a pregnancy from this violation? Why Abortion Should Be a Choice:1. Abortion should always be a choice. It is a woman's choice regarding her own body. By denying a woman the right to her own body and her own choices, one is denying her a basic human right. Women in many Middle Eastern countries where abortion is illegal are thought of as second class humans and treated as such. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon supports a choice, stating that the world needs to "'realize women’s reproductive health and rights,' advocate for universal healthcare coverage for all, and 'end preventable maternal, new-born and child deaths and malnutrition."' Though many argue that when it comes to abortion, it's no longer just the woman's body, this is false. The fetus or zygote is a part of the mother's body as it can't live outside of her. 2. Abortion sometimes is the only thing standing between a woman and poverty. Global Citizen states, "Women make up half of the world's population and yet represent a staggering 70% of the world's poor." In sub-Saharan Africa and west Asia, women typically have five to six children, leaving them powerless to provide for not only their own families, but themselves.3. Women who face deadly consequences of a pregnancy deserve to choose to live. A Facts for Life study found, "Girls who give birth before age 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their twenties." Not only do girls from age 15-19 account for 70,000 deaths a year, but the babies that do survive birth have a much higher chance of dying in the first year. Sources will be in comments.