The topic of my choice is abortion. This topic is one of the most controversial topics within the U.S. Much like what Troy said, it divides the country into pro-life and pro-choice groups who each feel strongly about their position on the topic. One big pro-life argument has to do with God. This is why the topic is so controversial; it involves a "higher power" who, depending on where different people stand in spirituality, knows best. Since most of the the pro-life activists believe life begins at conception, abortion is considered murder, and is a sin, therefore, against God's wishes. Abortion might also be considered controversial because it involves an "innocent" human being who hasn't had a chance in life, and can't speak for him/her self. Many people have extremely different thoughts and standings on the abortion controversies.
The authors of Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, are likely to have included the topic of abortion in their book because they wanted to show the long term effects of the controversial court case Roe v. Wade. Like they said in the book, no one has ever blamed the crime decrease on the legalization of abortion and they wanted to show the link between the two. Maybe, they thought including something controversial would get more people to read and buy the book, or maybe they just stumbled upon it in their studies.
I, myself, have no preference on abortion. As much as I hate humanity, there are some aspects of abortion that I am able to disagree with. The world is over populated, and without abortion, it would be even more crowded and aggravating, but on the flip side, I always love to see what could-have-been. For example, what if one of my friends or someone in my family was supposed to be aborted? What if an aborted child could have been the next Einstein? But what if an aborted child could have been the next Hitler? No one knows what could have been; we only know what is. I am a big supporter of women's rights and I believe they have the right to swing which ever way they please concerning the abortion controversy, but they should keep in mind what could happen in both sides of the argument. Their child could end up contributing to the crime rate in America, or they could turn their life around and become a self-made millionaire. Aborted or not, the thing will impact someone's life greatly.
Christina, I completely agree with your statement "I always love to see what could-have-been". Whenever I read a book, whether it's fiction or non-fiction, I always get caught up on "what if" questions. When reading this chapter I asked myself many of the same questions you did. I couldn't help but keep going back to what if a family member, say one of my brothers, was aborted? My brothers have been a big influence on who I am today. I feel like if one of them were not around I would be completely different.
ReplyDeleteChristina, you make a valid point when discussing what the child could become. Yes indeed if that certain child were born there could be a chance of them doing bad things, or performing great achievements. You could apply this topic into your everyday life as well. For example, you have a best friend that you spend everyday with. Like Sarah said also, think what if this person weren't apart of my life? Think of how different things would be in your life if you didn't have that certain friend in your life. But this was a great analysis, good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chris. Even before I read this I always questioned what everyone's life would be like if one of my friends were never born. It's interesting to analyze the different events in someone's life because of one person, and what that person would be like and do if the other didn't exist. Thanks for your input, Chris and Sarah.
ReplyDeleteChristina, this post really got me thinking about the topic of abortion. I too do not have a particular opinion about abortion because parts of me say either way. If someone who is not prepared to have children is not smart enough to protect themselves then I believe they should have to have the child. Even if the child was a mistake there is always adoption. However, I feel that adoption should be legal for those who are raped because it is one thing to be constantly reminded of your mistake, but it is completely different to have to carry around a nine month reminder of what may have been the most traumatizing event of your life. So I do not really know where I actually stand on the topic. You really brought across your point with all of the what if questions, this was a particularly strong post that really got me thinking.
ReplyDelete