In all of English literature, perhaps the most dramatic and devastating argument against prejudice is that given by Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Substituting 'human foetus' for 'Jew' and 'adult' for 'Christian', we can use Shylock's argument to defend the human unborn against his detractors - the merchants of calumny.
A student at the medical school at the University of Manitoba has been threatened with loss of graduation if he will not offer abortion as an option to a patient. In terms of the legal requirement, the issue is whether or not a physician is required to refer a patient for an abortion. The answer is no.
Recently I read an article about the effects of abortion, which included "post abortion syndrome." Could you please explain what that is?
For almost three decades Calvin College professor Pete Tigchelaar has had a three-month-old fetus, encased in plastic, that he uses in his human biology classes. He's always thought of the tiny fetus as a good educational tool.
After years of 12-step addiction programs, the abortion recovery retreat seemed tame. Until we started naming the baby.
Artificial wombs might end abortion, but the price would be the end of the family.
A few years ago, seemingly out of the blue, in the midst of a long e-mail message on other matters, a professional friend evoked her sadness at having had an abortion when she was in her twenties.
This may feel like déjà vu. The Senate has passed a ban on partial birth abortion before but Bill Clinton was president and vetoed it twice. Now that both the Senate and the House can pass it, and the president has asked for it, it should be relatively smooth sailing. This is an issue that gets beyond the usual abortion-debate divide: Even stalwart defenders of "choice" have realized that partial-birth abortion is infanticide.
In the thirty years since "Roe v. Wade", science and technology have continued their forward march. Ultrasound has advanced from the grainy black and white shadows of yesteryear to movies in living color. Little wonder that obstetricians are increasingly reluctant to perform abortions. Who, after all, could consider a fetus as life unworthy of living, once they've held its hand?
The manipulation of language has long been one of the hallmarks of the pro-choice position. But with ultrasound, words no longer matter so much: The abstract melts into the concrete and the personal. This powerful emotional appeal will continue to grow as 3-D ultrasound enters the mainstream.