Amanda D’Agostino
Assignment #5: Evaluating, Comparing & Contrasting Two Readings
ENG 110 College English 1
Section #.08
October 30, 2018
In today's society there are many topics that are carefully thought to be controversial. However, possibly no coexistent issue causes more controversy than abortion. A person can hardly read a newspaper, turn on the television, or even have a conversation with a friend without the topic coming up one way or another. With an issue like abortion, there is a difficulty in determining if it is right or wrong. The subject causes violent outbreaks, loss of friends, and much debate. The two sides are very different. You are either very “pro-choice”, feeling that a woman has the right to choose or “pro-life”, believing abortion is murder. In the article entitled “Why I am Pro-Life”, Thomas L. Friedman expresses his reasoning behind why he is pro-life. In the other article entitled “Pro-Choice as an Act of Love”, Megan Padilla shares her personal story as to why she is Pro-Choice.
Have you ever thought what it would be like to be in the shoes of a teenage girl who accidentally got pregnant? Or a rape victim? Or even an adult who just wasn't ready for a kid yet? These people, plus many more in other circumstances, are put in a very difficult position. But then again, put yourself in the position of an 8-week-old embryo, growing in its mother's womb. At 8 weeks after conception, this baby has a heartbeat and working organs. It even has fingerprints. Now, this is where the question of beliefs and morals come in to play.
Thomas L Friedman believes “Pro-life” can mean only one thing: “respect for the sanctity of life.” And there is no way that respect for the sanctity of life can mean we are obligated to protect every fertilized egg in a woman’s body, no matter how that egg got fertilized, but we are not obligated to protect every living person from being shot with a concealed automatic weapon”
Friedman takes the term “pro-life” and gives it more of a definition and meaning. He believes that you don’t get to call yourself “pro-life” and be against common-sense gun control — like banning public access to the kind of semiautomatic assault rifle, designed for warfare.
Friedman discusses his views on “legitimate rape”. In his opinion, he has no respect for someone who relies voodoo science to declare that a woman’s body can distinguish a “legitimate” rape, but then declares — when 99 percent of all climate scientists conclude that climate change poses a danger to the sanctity of all life on the planet — that global warming is just a hoax. Pro-life can only mean respect for the sanctity of life. Overall Friedman believes that everyone should have respect for all life. Respect for life has to include respect for how that life is lived, enhanced and protected — not only at the moment of conception but afterward, in the course of that life
On the contrary Megan Padilla has a different view of the hot topic. She explains...
