Instigator / Pro
9
1482
rating
24
debates
41.67%
won
Topic
#4482

Abortion is murder

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
0
9
Better sources
4
6
Better legibility
3
3
Better conduct
2
3

After 3 votes and with 12 points ahead, the winner is...

Sir.Lancelot
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
5
Time for argument
Three days
Max argument characters
10,000
Voting period
One week
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Con
21
1587
rating
182
debates
55.77%
won
Description

I will be arguing that abortion is murder and con will argue against it. Made this debate for Sir.Lancelot. If Sir.Lancelot is unable to accept at this time and I debate someone else then that's fine. Me and Sir will debate about this another time.

Round 1
Pro
#1
Opening

Let's establish some definitions:

Abortion: the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Murder: the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.

A fetus is still a human, a clump of cells and abortion is premeditated. 

There are certain parts of the country where abortion is illegal. Murder is also illegal so without a doubt abortion is murder.


Will extend further arguments in future rounds in response to Con.
Con
#2
But then rises the question, alive in what way? 
Skin cells are alive and you kill them everyday. Are you guilty of murder? 

The answer to the major question is that the term ‘life’ is misleading. Human fetuses are alive in the same concept of cells, not sentient creatures.


  • They behave like cells, not like organisms.


Also, there is nothing remotely “human” about a brainless body.
Round 2
Pro
#3
Skin cells are alive and you kill them everyday. Are you guilty of murder? 
That's not the same thing. That's like a snake shedding it's skin. Not murder at all. A fetus is made up of cells, not skin cells.

Human fetuses are alive in the same concept of cells, not sentient creatures.
Me and you are alive and made up of cells too.

  • They behave like cells, not like organisms.
You do know organisms are made up of cells right? Cells are organisms.

Also, there is nothing remotely “human” about a brainless body.
fetus definition: an offspring of a human or other mammal in the stages of prenatal development that follow the embryo stage. Therefore a fetus is a human and the brain develops at the 3rd week even before that life begins at conception.

Babies deserve to live. If you don't want a baby you can just put him/her up for adoption.
Con
#4
See? Not murder.

Vote Con! 
Round 3
Pro
#5
What did I say that made you say that?

You didnt prove anything and we have a few more rounds to go so I'll await a rebuttal if you have one. Abortion is murder per my round 1
Con
#6
Extend.
Round 4
Pro
#7
No matter how one looks at it, abortion is murder. The science of embryology states that from the moment of conception, a human being is formed. The DNA it has is not only human DNA but the DNA of an individual distinct from that of either parent. In forensic criminology DNA is used to distinguish one person from another. So the DNA of an embryo indicates that the embryo is a person. To aid a person who engages in abortion or promotes abortion makes one an accessory to murder.
Con
#8

A fetus is still a human, a clump of cells and abortion is premeditated. 

Since most intimate acts lead to unintended consequences whereby a woman who is unwilling to birth a child because she is not financially capable or doesn’t want it, she usually seeks out an abortion. 

Due to this being very common, I’ll say that the majority of abortion cases are a result of birth control failure or a burst in the condom. 

Thus as a cause, the effect of an abortion in this example is not premeditated, nor is it done with the intention of malice. 

fetus definition: an offspring of a human or other mammal in the stages of prenatal development that follow the embryo stage. Therefore a fetus is a human and the brain develops at the 3rd week even before that life begins at conception.
We realize a fetus is human from the concept of scientific terminology. It is incredibly misleading to apply this same term and definition in discussions of morals and ethics. Which is why I call the term meaningless.

Here is where I agree with Pro, that conception is the beginning of life. But it’s not life in the conventional sense. The fetus at this point has more in common with a cell than a fully grown human being or even a newborn. It hasn’t advanced to the point that we can refer to it as a ‘person.’

Sentience doesn’t start until the 18th week of the pregnancy and the abortion time-limit has expired by this point, meaning doctors won’t perform the procedure. 

Human consciousness is completely non-existent within the early stages of a pregnancy and the only time an abortion is allowed.
Round 5
Pro
#9
Forfeited
Con
#10
Extend. 

The End.