With over 120 Oles in attendance, Monday’s debate took place between Pro-Choice advocates Johanna Fay and Jon Riley and Carrie Zimmerman and Lisa Drewry, promoters of the Pro-Life argument. The argument centered on the definition of life, and whether or not the rights of a mother super-cede the rights of an unborn fetus.
The Pro-Lifers opened with arguments concerning scientific studies, and issues of legality and morality. Drewry and Zimmerman argued that life begins at conception, and that a fetus has the same unalienable right to life as any other human being. Do you think that there is a decisive point after which a fetus unmistakably “human”? Furthermore, they contended that the social benefits of abortion were dubious, and that they could be obtained by other means (adoption) while still upholding moral standards.
The proponents of the Pro-Choice argument held firm that the decision to abort a pregnancy ought to be made by the mother-to-be and not the government. Do you agree? They argued that abortions must be legal in order to preserve a woman’s rights to privacy, safety, and the pursuit of a bright future. Fay and Riley contested that many pregnancies are unwanted, and that there are often negative social ramifications associated with the birth of these children. Additionally, they maintained that women will obtain abortions even if they are made illegal, and that the black market form of this procedure will be far more dangerous.
The debate ended with thoughtful questions from the audience, some of which called to attention the social, emotional, and physical distress an unwanted pregnancy would cause a mother, and others that wondered what an aborted child might have done or achieved. All in all, the debate was respectful and thought provoking, and a special thanks goes out to the debaters for tackling such a contentious and potentially incendiary issue.
Now the stage is yours, the debate is far from finished…give us your thoughts by posting a comment below!
Thursday, November 19, 2009 | Political Awareness Committee
