abortion is wrong

its wrong

I accept the debate! I will be arguing against the resolution: Abortion is wrong.

Why is abortion wrong?

I await your arguments.

well abortion can kill many babies. The amount of women that have died during abortion makes up the population of Spain.

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My opponent states that abortion is wrong because it "can kill many babies." I hold this statement to be false. Abortion does not kill many babies. Abortion terminates pregnancies. It is even inaccurate to say that abortion kills a fetus because a fetus was never alive in the first place. Even the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a fetus as "an unborn or unhatched vertebrae" [1]. Science at the present does not know exactly when a fetus becomes a baby. We do know several facts however.

1. The fetus cannot felt pain for the first 24 weeks during its formation because its brain is un(der)developed [2].

2. Although evidence detailing when a fetus' heartbeat begins is inconclusive, scientific estimates place the time around four to six weeks after conception [3]. An organism without a heartbeat is considered not alive by most standards. So again, an abortion is not ending a life but a pregnancy.

How does my opponent feel about abortions in the case of rape? The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network reports that, in 2004-2005, 64,080 women were raped (this of course applies only to reported rapes - many rapes and other unwanted sexual advances go unreported). They also report that around 5% of these rapes resulted in pregnancies - that's about 3,204 pregnancies [4]. Should these women have to bear the lifelong psychological trauma for the sake of something not even considered alive?

Before continuing, it is important to differentiate between trimesters. Although I am arguing against the resolution, I do not have to justify abortion in each and every case where it occurs. I only have to support its legality in certain instances. As such, I do not have to defend third trimester/late term abortions. For this argument, I am supporting a woman's right to get an abortion during the first, and arguably even second, trimester.

As a final point, my opponent claims that the amount of women who have died during abortions make up the population of Spain. My opponent cites no source, and I find this a difficult claim to believe. World Population Statistics place Spain's population at around 47.27 million people [5]. The National Organization for Women explains that abortion is 11 times safer than childbirth, and that abortion's death rate (on women) is now 0.6 per 100,00 as opposed to childbirth, which is 8 per 100,000 [6]. Thus my opponent's argument is false. In fact, more women's lives are saved by having abortions. This makes sense. There are cases where having a child endangers the life of the mother. In such cases, I argue that abortion should also be permissible. I believe it makes more sense to defend a current, existing life rather than a potential one.

I look forward to my opponent's responses in the final round!

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com...
[2] http://www.theguardian.com...
[3] http://www.baby2see.com...
[4] http://www.rainn.org...
[5] http://www.worldpopulationstatistics.com...
[6] http://www.now.org...

i still think its wrong

My opponent spends his third round maintaining his position without providing grounds to do so. He does not refute any of my points, so we must conclude that he concedes all of them. Because of this, I urge the voters to vote CON!