Abortion: The debate

Welcome to Political Divide blog!

Abortion is one of the most divisive current hot button social issues, and as a result, I think it important to discuss the issues at hand. The intent of this article is to go over some of the arguments made by different sides of the debate. However, know that the arguments in this article are not necessarily reflective of any general consensus of the issues from any side of the debate. However I hope to cover it as thoroughly as I can in a single article.

As I am a liberal and am pro choice, I will take up the side of the liberal pro choice argument. I will post links to videos of various perspectives of the argument and offer my opinion about the arguments being made.

First I would just like to talk about what being pro-choice is and is not. I think the most important thing people should understand about what it means to be pro-choice is that it is NOT equal to pro-abortion. It is my opinion that whenever anybody who is pro-life suggests that pro-choice is equal to pro-abortion, and that these labels are interchangeable, are either being purposely deceptive, or are, quite frankly, ignorant of the pro-choice argument. Often times news networks and individuals who are pro-life, and know better, use this terminology to prop up a straw man argument, and to formulate an argument that is nothing more than an appeal to emotion. In fact, it is certainly possible for somebody to be pro-choice and against abortion. Choice, the very word itself, suggests that you have the option to make your own decision, to have or not to have an abortion.

I seriously doubt that anybody, or at least most pro-choicers, are going around suggesting that abortion is preferable to having a child. I personally have never met anybody who would say that women should get pregnant just to have an abortion because it is "cool," that women should be legally obligated to have abortions, or anything along those lines. And yet this is what seems to be implied whenever somebody suggests that people who are pro-choice are pro-abortion. If anybody advocates for this sort of thing then I would agree that they are pro-abortion, but I am certainly not suggesting that women have an abortion.

If you think the media, Obama, the government in general are acting in a manner that is dividing the country, then surely you can understand how using this "pro-abortion" straw man is not helping to unite anybody. When you make fallacious arguments about an opposing view, and refuse to drop it when shown to be fallacious, I think it is obvious that you have no interest in arguing honestly. And this is no way to further any discussion or come to any sort of agreement. If you find yourself arguing with somebody like this, from any side of any argument, I would suggest ending the discussion. The person you are arguing with clearly has no interest in arguing honestly, and the discussion becomes pointless.


The first video is by a relatively well known libertarian on Youtube who used to go by TokenLibertarianGirl, otherwise known as Julie Borowski. The following video is entitled "Why You Should Be Pro Life."

In this video Julie discusses her opinion about abortion and tries desperately to label herself pro-life. She goes over some of the worst abortion practices, and talks briefly about "abortion survivors." Later in the video she offers a question, "would you go up to an abortion survivor and say, 'Your mother chose abortion, her body her choice. You shouldn't be alive?'" No Julie, I wouldn't, because I am not a sociopath, nor are most pro-choicers. And again, pro-choice does NOT equal pro-abortion.

I can agree with her on most of her points, especially that educating people about what abortion is, and a decent sex education, is vital. However, I am pro-choice, and she claims to be pro-life. If you agree with everything in this video, including the part about government staying out of it, you ARE pro-choice. Welcome to the club Julie!



The next video is by StateofDaniel who takes a much more conservative stance than Julie. The following video is entitled "7 Questions for Pro-Choice / Abortion Supporters" by StateofDaniel.

Rather than offer my own response to this video, I will provide a response video made by Zaunstar to Daniel's video specifically. The following video is called "StateOfDaniel In StateOfDenial On Abortion Rights."

I think Zaunstar covers each question/point quite well, and I would say that it is a well thought response to Daniel's video. So I will defer to his response.



In this next video we have a Youtuber who goes by the name of RockingMrE. The following video is entitled "Can Abortion be Justified?"

RockingMrE (RME) is a bit of a strange character in my opinion, and I believe he labels himself a libertarian of some sort. However, with RME, he attempts to analyse the question of abortion from an objectivist secular ethics perspective, a bit more of a philosophical approach if you will.

However more of an intellectual argument this may be, it really doesn't amount to much more than what Julie Borowski says in her video. RME makes a good case for why it is wrong, but in the end he is pro-choice, no matter how much he hates liberals. RME, near the end of the video, says "abortion should only ever occur if the mothers life is in serious jeopardy." And then several seconds later says "the only other time abortion should be permitted is if the baby is seriously deformed or disabled." I think he mistakenly thinks that all pro-choicers are evil baby killers, and condone and think that abortion in general is a good thing. I think I have already made the case for why that is not true, and why you can be pro-choice, anti-abortion, and pro education on the topic of sexual reproduction and abortion. I think the only major difference between RME and Julie is that RME would probably be in favor of arresting and trying mothers who have abortions for murder, no matter what stage the pregnancy is in. Though that is just speculation on my part, he never says this explicitly.



And that is all for this entry. If anybody would like to offer alternative arguments against pro-choice, be they your own argument or others arguments, I am all ears, and would enjoy discussing them. If you can link to any articles and or videos with alternative arguments against pro-choice, I may do a follow up responding to those arguments. However, I am not going to continue to respond to or make blog entries about the same arguments over and over.