Blog 5: Can We Ever Say a Woman Can't Choose?

Abortion is one of the most controversial subjects in America which is surrounded by legal and ethical issues. The article, “Can We Ever Say a Woman Can’t Choose?” wrote by Frances Kissling argues whether a women should or should not be allowed to choose the abortion. Kissling planted the naysayer very well that could influence the readers and make them think hard about the abortion. Although, she is a pro-choicer, she was able to state pro-lifers’ views fabulously. However, she admits “Still, I realize that expressing pro-life values, when you’re pro-choice, is much more complicated.”
Furthermore, she has raised some objections that may have been inspired by the skeptics in her article. For example, she argues about O’Reilly opening salvo “Do you feel late-term fetuses deserve any protection at all?” and her response is yes. Later, she is able to answer to this objection persuasively when she states “We are pro-life to the extent that we do not want to abuse or harm living things (such as fetuses) if we can avoid it. That at least is our ideal – which we then regularly violate with war, torture, the death penalty, and . . .”
Overall, she makes some valuable points which I agree with them. For instance, she disputes about late-term abortion “When a fetus reaches the point where it could survive outside the uterus, is healthy, and the woman is healthy, and she has had five months to make up her mind, we should say no to abortion.” However, some of her objections such as teenage pregnancy, or ignorance of body because of shame are more convincing than the argument she is advising.
Consequently, Kissling’s article provides most of the possible objections she has anticipated to convince the readers about her point of view as a pro-choicer. Although, she states that she is against the late-abortion, at the end of the text, she confesses she can never force a woman to continue a pregnancy. These controversial statements make her article more challenging, honest and attractive, and this is the reason I chose it as my argument respond paper.