The Abortion of a Fetus is NEVER Moral NOR and Imperative

A short note before we begin. My opponent has improperly labeled the burden of proof. Perhaps "incompletely" is a better term. Pro must show that abortion is NEVER moral OR imperative. Con must show that in at least one case, abortion is moral OR imperative. The resolution is a disjunct, and my opponent has mistakenly presented it as a conjunct. Some short responses: >> "I agree with the scenario of Jessica pregnancy." Then you have conceded the debate - this is one case where abortion is the moral thing to do. >> "I disagree with the fetus being nonviable" My opponent cannot disagree to the terms of the case I present to fulfill the resolution. My burden is to present one case wherein abortion is the moral or imperative thing to do. I have done so. My opponent cannot simply state that he disagrees with the case and toss it aside. Furthermore, since the case is in the opening round, it is a given in terms of the framework of debate. Unless there is something logically incoherent in the case, it stands. >> "We should agree to not give an age to the fetus and that the fetus is healthy but due to factors not of the baby's cause." No... I think my opponent is missing the point. What if we have a baby that is UN-healthy due to factors not of the baby's cause? My opponent is trying to place constraints on what sort of cases I can present. Obviously, the real world does not abide by his rules, as cases like Jessica's are not impossible at all. >> "my opponent has to prove the opposite to never which is always or universal." Sorry, but this is simply incorrect. Never is logically equivalent to none (meaning no). For example, "There are no unicorns." The negation of such a term does not mean it's opposite. For example, if I say, "Jimmy Carter was never President," the negation of that statement is not "Jimmy Carter was always President." The negation is "Jimmy Carter was President AT LEAST ONCE." The negation of "none/no" is "some/at least one." So I need to show that abortion is moral or imperative in AT LEAST ONE situation. *********************************************************** Responses to Contentions: 1) Subjective Morality. My opponent concludes by saying that, "no matter what my opponents says what he believes moral is never truthfully moral." Unfortunately for him, this means that no matter what HE says, it is never truthfully moral EITHER. If necessary (which as yet it is not) I'll put forth a case for an objective moral system that can easily be used to answer the questions surrounding Jessica's case. 2) On an Imperative. In order to state that something is moral or immoral, one must subscribe to an imperative. For example, it makes little sense to say that A is moral and ~A is immoral, but hold that there is no imperative to do A. The very fact of A's moral-ness suggests that there is an imperative to act in accordance with A. Furthermore, I don't need to show that the abortion of Jessica's child is moral AND imperative - just moral OR imperative. 3) Matters of Responsibility. The doctor in this case carries the responsibility for Jessica's life. The doctor must make a decision whether or not to abort the baby (A v ~A). In either case, he has made a decision that brings about a set of circumstances that directly affects Jessica's life. The life of the fetus is immaterial, as it will die either way. In a situation where it is entirely the choice of the doctor that determines whether or not Jessica lives or dies, the responsibility for her life is with the doctor. My opponent commits the fallacy of holding that killing and letting die are not the same thing IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THE ACTOR COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE. In Jessica's case, the fact of the matter is that if the doctor chooses not to abort, he is killing Jessica, and if he chooses to abort, he is saving her. Consider my opponent's case of the drowning man. If I have a life preserver and I toss it to him, I saved him, right? If I do not toss it to him, then I not-saved him... or I killed him. ********************************************************* I await a rebuttal to the case I have presented. Not the case my opponent wishes I had presented. NEGATED.