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

Good luck to my opponent and may the best argument win. ______________ Resolution 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" –adjective 1. forbidden by law or statute. (http://dictionary.reference.com...) ______________ 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 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. In this way, society works by "mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon" (Hardin 1968)." (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. It is therefore illegal, and rightfully should be illegal, to revoke the rights of an innocent human being. Under these same ideas, we understand the right to self-defense in so much as it is an individual protecting its right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Thus, a pregnancy which threatens the physical well-being (life) of a mother, must supersede the life of a fetus. It is also clear that instances such as rape do occur, in which the only self-defense from further trama can only be after the event in the form of an abortion. Because these fall within the realm of self-defense, they will not be relevant to this debate. It is however, wholly inappropriate and unreasonable to take the rights of a human being for personal reasons. In the same way that it is illegal for a person to kill a teacher for failing him from a class and impeding his education, it should be illegal for a person to have an induced abortion for personal reasons because they became pregnant. It is not as though you just "get" pregnant. There is a conscious decision to have sex with the knowledge that a new human life could be the result. In the same way, if a person makes the conscious decision not to study, they run the risk of failing a class. As you can see, in both instances the person brought the situation upon them self, and killing an innocent human being is never the appropriate response for an improper decision. It is considered illegal to kill an innocent human being in the United States, especially for personal reasons as they are defined in this debate. Therefore throughout this debate, I will show why this same set of laws ought to be extended to protecting fetuses from induced abortions for personal reasons. ______________ 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...) Species -noun 2. Biology. the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species. (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://en.wikipedia.org...) ______________ The Human 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. The term "conception" refers variably to either fertilization or to formation of the conceptus after uterine implantation, and this terminology is controversial. 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 human fetus contains a unique, individual set of genetic material (DNA) from both the mother and the father. ______________ Human Fetus is an Innocent Human Being: Given the above, it is clear that a Human Fetus, unquestionably of the species Homo Sapien and with an individualized set of DNA, must necessarily be considered a human being. A human fetus must also be considered innocent, as it has produced no behavior breaking the Social Contract and thus committed no crime. ______________ We can now get to the meat and potatoes of this argument, so to speak. I will make my case in syllogism form: 1. A fetus is a human being that is innocent 2. An Innocent human being reserves the natural rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness 3. It is illegal to revoke the natural rights of an innocent human being 4. Induced Abortions for personal reasons revoke all natural rights from a fetus 5. Thus, Induced Abortions for personal reasons ought to be illegal