--Resolved that abortion is justified.

Stock Issues

-Issue 1: Is abortion morally acceptable?
-Issue 2: Should a pregnant woman have the sole rights to an abortion?
-Issue 3: Does life begin at the moment of birth?


-Issue 1: Zack Wahal
-Issue 2: Faith Britner
-Issue 3: Robby Sanislo

-Your issue/question to research:
-Issue 3: Does life begin at the moment of birth?
-Yes


A. Logic/Reasoning
-Life does begin at the moment of birth because the fetus is not a true human being, only an embryo.
-Life does begin at the moment of birth because a fetus can’t live on its own.
-Life does begin at the moment of birth because a baby can’t/doesn’t breathe inside of the womb.
-Life does begin at the moment of birth because a fetus can not possess autonomy.
-Life does begin at the moment of birth because babies aren’t alive in the womb.

B. Facts and Statistics
-The fetus is not a true human, only and embryo.
-The dictionary lists a person as “Being an individual or existing as an indivisible whole; existing as a distinct entity.”
-A human does not become a full person until conscious and consciousness doesn’t occur until well after birth.
-It is a Jewish belief that a baby gains “full human status at birth only.”
-Before personhood is reached, it is okay to “sacrifice a potential life in order to save a fully existing human life.”
-After the forehead emerges from the birth canal, the fetus is regarded as a person. Neither the baby nor the mother can be killed to save the life of the other after the forehead has emerged.
-If a fetus is lost, it doesn’t require a death sentence because it is not considered murder.
-In Leviticus 27:6 a child is only given a value after one month old (boys were worth five shekels of silver and girls three); below one month old and before birth, they were assigned no value, meaning they were not considered human beings.

C. Specific Examples
-Genesis 2:7 states that God made Adam’s body from the dust of the ground. But it was only after God “breathed into it the breath of life” that “man became a living person.”
-A traditional Jewish belief, also based on the Bible, is that full personhood is attainted when the fetus is half-emerged from the mothers body.
-In Hebrew beliefs, if a miscarriage were to happen, this would then imply that the fetus died immediately as a direct result of the accident. Assuming that no further harm happens (e.g. that the woman does not die) the man responsible would have to pay a fine. The amount would be set by the wife and approved by a judge. This would imply that the death of the fetus wasn’t considered to be the death of a human person. If it was, then the man responsible would be tried for murder and executed.

D. Quotes by Credible Sources
- “…some sects believe it is permissible to have an abortion before ensoulment has occurred.”
- “…a baby…becomes a full-fledged human being when the head emerges from the womb. Before then, the fetus is considered a ‘partial life.’”
- “ “You shall not murder.” This verse is often mistranslated “Thou shall not kill.” Murder is actually being referred to--the killing of a human person. Since the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures and the traditional the Jewish people regarded a human as beginning at birth when the newborn first takes a breath, this verse would not apply to abortion.”

E. Analogies
-Saying that abortion is inhumane is like saying a dog cant be neutered.
-If a woman buys a cow and the cow becomes pregnant, he owns the calfs. If a woman is pregnant she has all the rights to that baby.

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