Ask questions

Take advantage of today’s abortion debate to ask your questions

One of the biggest questions modern society deals with is abortion.

We all have our own opinions about it based on our personal beliefs, religious views and knowledge about the subject. We rigorously defend our positions while at the same time trying to convince others to change sides – which is inherently ironic. We know that we won’t change our minds yet remain convinced that others will. The debates wage on and it seems as if there is no solution in sight.

Today’s debate between Judge Andrew Napolitano, a Fox News senior judicial analyst and former superior court judge, and Michael Waldman, director of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, will present the arguments for both sides of the abortion issue to a crowd that, for the most part, has already made up their minds on the issue.

The editorial board wants to encourage everyone to attend and to ask questions. Don’t think of the debate as a forum to preach ideals and convert others. See it for what it is: an event designed to raise awareness and educate anyone who is unsure of his or her stance.

It sounds impossible, but try to leave emotion at the door and approach the discussion with an open mind and questions for the speakers.

Ask the usual questions:

When is a fetus considered human?

Shouldn’t every child be wanted?

Is abortion safe for the mother?

Whose choice should it be?

What about overpopulation?

Which trimesters are appropriate for abortion?

Under what conditions (incest, rape, others) should abortion be legal?

When – if ever – will the United States rule on the specifics of abortion legality?

Should any type of counseling be required?

What makes these two speakers qualified to talk about abortion?

And others. But also ask about recent news concerning abortion.

On Wednesday the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that, according to the Guttmacher Institute, restricting the availability of abortions does not reduce the rate at which they occur.

Also Wednesday the Agence France-Presse released a story stating that the worldwide abortion rate is falling due to the availability of contraceptives. And with the health care issue yet to be solved, a major question to be posed is whether or not the government should pay for abortions.

Learn views that oppose yours, and remember that defending your position allows you to strengthen your arguments, too.

- Megan Otto for the editorial board