Dmytro Taranovsky
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Outline of Abortion

Thesis:  Abortion should be legal since it is useful and since humans become conscious after birth, not before.

I. People are protected since they can feel.

II. If a fetus does not feel, aborting it is equivalent to not creating a person which is not immoral.

III. Abortion is very useful.
A.  Abortion prevents creation of unwanted children.
B.  Abortion prevents creation of abnormal children.

IV. Ability to feel is supernatural
A.  Physical laws do not predict the ability to feel.
B.  Quantum mechanics places special powers on observers.

V. Humans gain ability to feel at about three years after birth.
A.  Feeling requires special abilities since it is supernatural
B.  The special abilities are abilities to think, understand, and form direct memories.
C.  Fetuses are unable to reason.
C.  First memories trace to the age of three years.
D.  Fetuses cannot be second-class people.
E.  Abortion should be legal since it does not kill a soul.

VI. Infanticide has important differences with abortion.
A.  Infants are much more similar to people than fetuses are.
      1.  Killing infants may promote violence.
      2.  Infants do not alter bodies of women like fetuses do.
B.  Infanticide should only be allowed for the first week after birth and only in limited cases.

VII. Bible supports abortion.
A.  Genesis states that people are "in the image of God", that is they have ability to understand, solve problems, and remember.
B.  The recommended penalty for causing miscarriage is a fine; the penalty for killing a person is death.
C.  According to the Bible, in case of adultery, women should sometimes be forced to miscarry.
D.  According to the Bible, some prophets have a gift of being human before birth.
E.  New Testament does not oppose abortion

VIII. Human embryonic development provides additional evidence for abortion.
A.  Since zygote is just a cell, it cannot be a person.
B.  Natural fetal death rate is high.
C.  Fetuses do not ask for rights.
D.  Fetuses are too small for people.

IX. If legal abortion is not available, most of the abortion would occur anyway but would be illegal and unsafe.

X. Conclusion:  Abortion is beneficial and should be allowed on demand.