The Pros and Cons of Abortion - Essay Example

Abortion In order to fashion an argument for or against an issue, it is important to carefully research the facts surrounding the issue from both sides. The topic of abortion is certainly one worthy of such an investigation. In this particular discussion, 4 quality sources will be examined in order to substantiate an educated position on the topic. Each article will be examined based on rhetoric, fallacies and claims. The first article was written by Mark Huttenlocker and is entitled Teen Pregnancy - The Pros and Cons of Abortion. This article approaches the topic of abortion first from a standpoint of statistical data which reinforces the fact that teen pregnancy, though declining in number, is leading to an abortion epidemic in the U.S., “In the U.S., teen abortion accounts for 19% of all procedures of this nature”(Huttenlocker, 2008). Establishing quantitative data by obtaining statistics from a reliable source is an effective approach to structuring a sound and convincing argument on any topic, especially one of this nature. Huttenlocker proceeds to establish that though teen pregnancy has actually declined in number within the last ten years, the abortion rate has not. This validates the fact that abortion is being treated as a means of birth control as opposed to being a last resort decision in extreme circumstances. By going on to include health information pertinent to teens having abortions, Huttenlocker is able to clearly establish the notion that abortion may not be the best alternative for teens, especially as a means of birth control, “Teens are at higher risk for post-abortion infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and endometritis (inflammation of the uterus), which may be caused either by the spread of an undiagnosed sexually transmitted disease into the uterus during the abortion, or by micro-organisms on the surgical instruments which are inserted into the uterus”(Huttenlocker, 2008). Huttenlocker does not exhibit specific rhetoric which serves to convince his reader as much as he presents claims supported by quantitative data thus reinforcing his credibility. This method utilized by Huttenlocker leaves little room for fallacy or the suspicion of it. This article does not leave its reader in the dust as does the following article but instead, actively informs the reader without prejudice or preaching and thus should be rated as 1 out of 4, 1 being the highest rating due to skilled rhetoric, without a great deal of unsubstantiated claims or fallacies. The next article was taken from the Washington Post and was written by George F. Wills. This article provides quantitative data in the form of a timeline of the legal issue of abortion in America. Though this is relevant to the interests of America’s legal position today on abortion, it is drawn out to the point of exhaustion. Will attempts to clarify the position of the state of New York on the issue of abortion, and the heated debate as to whether a fetus deserves protection or not. After reading the article through many times over, it is not difficult to rate this piece as number 4 on a scale of 1-4, 4 being the least affective and 1 being the most affective and decidedly best article. When looking for articles to present an argument against abortion, it is difficult to find one with little to no religious affiliation. In most cases, Christian based religions are at the heart of the anti-abortion movement or the pro-life movement. In an article written by Kerby Anderson, such an argument was presented. Anderson, though employing a very subjective form of argument, takes his readers through the Christian or biblical logic step by step which reinforces the belief that abortion is a ‘sin’ or is wrong. In this way, his rhetoric is enhanced by the flow of the piece. He uses the Bible as his main source of reference which is again, subjective more so than decidedly factual or quantitative. If however, one credits the Bible as being solid truth without fallacy, than Anderson has effectively used the Bible and its pertinent information on the subject to erect a convincing argument. This however, is not the case if one does not adopt the Bible as one’s moral or traditional code, leaving room for a huge margin of error and multiple holes within Andersons argument. If however, one is not convinced by Biblical dogma, there is still a continuity to Anderson’s stylistic discussion that at least deserves attention, “One of the key verses to understand in developing a biblical view of the sanctity of human life is Psalm 139. This psalm is the inspired record of Davids praise for Gods sovereignty in his life”(Anderson, 1995). Due to the fact that Anderson is obviously well equipped with Biblical data and is then able to reshape that data into comprehensive ideology applicable today, he is ranked as number 3 out of 4. The last article to discuss is one which originates from a feminist standpoint in that it serves to inform women of the possibility of losing their choice over what happens to their bodies. This article was written and placed on a website which reads The power of Law for Every Woman with no mention of a particular author. It is short and direct in that it informs the reader about the dangers of allowing the government to allocate a woman’s body as its jurisdiction. Similar to the article against abortion from the subjective viewpoint of religion, this piece speaks to women as opposed to perhaps everyone and is thus more sympathetic in nature to a specific portion of the population. Certainly, there are men with similar views but taking the approach that women must read this article and then respond due to the conjuring of fear of losing one’s rights, is always going to result in a one sided equation. There are of course two sides to this argument, both with extremely valid arguments. The perspective that a woman’s body is her own is certainly one that should be more widely embraced but then this leaves room for the argument that a fetus is merely a human being in progress and should be entitled to the same rights to protection and autonomy as a woman. This article is ranked 2 out of 4 as it possesses an effective rhetorical delivery but perhaps just slightly too narrowly. Inviting the whole of humanity to adopt one’s perspective is the most effective form of rhetorical argument which leaves little room for others to design a more cleverly crafted rebuttal. Ultimately, abortion is much like so many other things in that it is arguably appropriate in very specific circumstances. If a woman is raped, she has been placed into circumstances not in her best interest, at someone else’s hands and should therefore be given an opportunity to terminate the pregnancy if one results, in the best interest of her body as well as her future. If a woman becomes pregnant by accident and seeks an abortion as a means of birth control then she should perhaps remember that we are all responsible for our own actions all of which have consequences. There are multitudes of couples who are unable to have children and are eager to adopt and thus provide a loving and safe environment for an unwanted child. The bottom line is that just as in the basic law of thermodynamics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If human beings, in this case women, are asserting that everyone’s human body belongs to them respectively, than inversely the same can be said of a human being residing within another human being. Works Cited: Anderson, Kerby (1995) “Argument against abortion”, Leadership University, retrieved from website at: http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/arg- abor.html Huttenlocker, Mark (2008) “Teen pregnancy - The pros and the cons of abortion”, retrieved from website at: http://ezinearticles.com/?Teen-Pregnancy---The- Pros-and-Cons-Of-Abortion&id=665523 -------------------, (2008) “Study Shows U.S. abortion rights in trouble”, The Power of Law for Every Woman, retrieved from website at: http://www.reproductiverights.org/pri_abortion.html Wills, George F., (2005) “The abortion argument we missed”, The Washington Post, pp. A25, retrieved from website at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113001816.html Read More