Abortion should remain legal

Let's jump right into pro's arguments! Pro and when Life Begins:In his first section pro asks, “When do we start considering potential offspring as human? ”A good question pro. This refers back to my argument in round 2 when I discussed the concept that the fetus is a complete organism capable of becoming a full-sized adult unless otherwise hindered. This could be the “potential” that pro was discussing. Pro also asks about sperm and ova, and whether they would be considered human since they are potential offspring. But I would raise an objection here. The sperm or the ova cannot be considered offspring or even potential offspring on their own. If the sperm or the ova are given time and space to age, they simply die and decompose. However, if a fetus is given time and space to age, it becomes a full-sized adult. In this way we see that a human fetus is separate and distinct from sperm or ova. And to answer the question bluntly, just as the old saying goes, “When the sperm and the ova unite, we have human life. ”. To quote from Embryologist Keith Moore again, “This fertilized ovum, known as a zygote, is a large diploid cell that is the beginning, or primordium, of a human being. ” The Exceptions to an Abortion Ban:In this section of pro's opener he asks about possible exceptions to an abortion ban. I will break down each exception he suggested. An exception for rape:It is important to note that only around 1% of abortions are sought after for reasons of sexual violence (based on a study by Torres and Forrest (1998)). This is not to discount the reality of sexual violence, but to simply put it into perspective. The vast majority of abortions, above 90%, are done for personal reasons. None of us had any say in how we were brought into this world. We did not choose to exist, and we are therefore innocent of the way in which we were brought into the world. I live in a country where you cannot put even the rapist to death for the crime he has committed. Based on this, I cannot imagine a justification for putting the innocent child to death. Ectopic Pregnancies:An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy which threatens the life of the mother. It occurs when the fetus is lodged in the fallopian tube. In cases such as these, there is no way to save the life of the unborn child. If there is an attempt to carry the pregnancy to term, both the mother and her child will die. It is therefore morally acceptable to terminate the life of the unborn child in order to limit the loss of human life. If we look at hard cases like these, it is important to understand that we cannot always make a sound judgment. For instance, most if not all of us would say it should be illegal to run red lights. There are exceptions though. Let's say you've got a passenger who's life is endangered and needs to get to the hospital. In such a case it would be fine to run the red light. But it does not therefore make it necessary to change the law and have it so running red lights is allowed. We all can see the slippery slope that would lead to. Similarly, it does not follow that since a termination of a pregnancy can be done with the life of the mother in danger, with no way of saving the child's life, we should therefore keep abortion, in its entirety, legal. People who are not Capable of Supporting the Child:Those who perform the sexual act are responsible for its repercussions. I myself have personal experience with this, considering I have a child out of wedlock. This is not to say that they must care for their child. There are other life-affirming options, such as adoption, which are available to them. As a society, we do not tolerate the killing of innocents to improve the life or circumstance of another. I ask that we only be consistent in regards to the unborn. Children who have Disabilities:I'll give my opponent an analogy. Let's say it's 1941 and you're in a small town in Poland. One day, you hear someone banging on your farmhouse door, you go to answer it, and it's the Nazis. They force you out onto the street and bring you towards a group of people they have lined up. These are the people in your town you know to have down syndrome, and autism. There is not a single person in this line who does not have one of these disabilities. They hand you a machine gun, and order you to mow down these individuals. Do you kill them? Again, I ask only for us to be consistent. The Black Market:Here pro states that, though making it illegal would surely reduce the number of abortions, doing so would put those who desire abortions in worse circumstance to get them. This argument doesn't logically follow. For example, killing 15 year olds is illegal. However making it illegal puts the parents who wish to kill the 15 year old in a circumstance that is less safe (he could fight back, etc. ) than if there were a clinic you could take your 15 year old to be killed. It should therefore be legal to kill your 15 year old. But this is absurd. If the purpose of the law is to protect innocent human life, why then would we legalize something that would make it easier to kill innocent human life? Pro and Mercy Killing:Pro contends that it could be considered a kind of mercy killing for the children who would be born in bad circumstances. Pro brings up some interesting points about the foster system. It is important to note that the study he refers to in his link is incredibly small (48 participants) and does not represent the entirety of the foster system. However, for the sake of the argument, let's say it does represent the entirety of the foster system. If a third of them referred themselves for mental problems, this means two thirds did not. If the parents had aborted them all (100%) then all of them would be dead, including the ones who did not necessarily have anything wrong with them. My point is, it is not for pro, nor is it for I, to decide whether or not these children should live. If you are born into a foster home, it does not mean that you will necessarily be miserable and unhappy for the rest of your life. In fact, I have provided a link to a website that has stories of children who were happy with the foster system. Conclusion:There are many unfortunate circumstances that women and families will face as a result of their own decisions, or by an outside force. However, if the unborn are truly human, we must treat them consistently with the same care we give to born people. References: Life begins at conception: . https://www.princeton.edu... Statistics of Abortion: . http://www.religioustolerance.org... Ectopic Pregnancies: . https://www.nlm.nih.gov... Children in Foster Care: . http://www.thewhocarestrust.org.uk...