The Most Important Question About Abortion | 5 Minute Video
Is abortion right, or is it wrong? It’s the big question that’s lost in a societal debate that’s mostly focused on legality. But, really, whether it’s right or wrong is the most important question about abortion.
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Script:
Let’s talk about one of the most emotionally charged subjects there is — abortion — but in an unemotional way. Also, let’s not touch on the question that most preoccupies discussion of the subject — whether abortion should be legal or illegal. The only question here is the moral one: Is ending the life of a human fetus — moral?
Let’s begin with this question: Does the human fetus have any value and any rights? Now, it’s a scientific fact that a human fetus is human life. Those who argue that the human fetus has no rights say that a fetus is not a person. But even if you believe that, it doesn’t mean the fetus has no intrinsic value or no rights. There are many living beings that are not persons that have both value and rights: Dogs and other animals, for example. And that’s Moral Argument Number One: A living being doesn’t have to be a person in order to have intrinsic moral value and rights.
When challenged with this argument, people usually change the subject to the rights of the mother — meaning the right of a mother to end her fetus’s life under any circumstance, for any reason, and at any time in her pregnancy. Is that moral? It is only if we believe that the human fetus has no intrinsic worth. But in most cases, nearly everyone believes that the human fetus has essentially infinite worth and an almost absolute right to live. When? When a pregnant woman wants to give birth. Then, society — and its laws — regard the fetus as so valuable that if someone were to kill that fetus, that person could be prosecuted for homicide. Only if a pregnant woman doesn’t want to give birth, do many people regard the fetus as worthless. Now, does that make sense?
It doesn’t seem to. Either a human fetus has worth or it doesn’t. And this is Moral Argument Number Two: On what moral grounds does the mother alone decide a fetus’s worth? We certainly don’t do that with regard to a newborn child. It is society, not the mother — or the father — that determines whether a newborn child has worth and a right to live.
So, the question is: Why should that be different before the human being is born? Why does one person, a mother, get to determine whether that being has any right to live? People respond by saying that a woman has the right to “control her body.” Now, that is entirely correct. The problem here, however, is that the fetus is not “her body;” it is in her body. It is a separate body. And that’s Moral Argument Number Three. No one ever asks a pregnant woman, “How’s your body?” when asking about the fetus. People ask, “How’s the baby?”
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/most-important-question-about-abortion
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Abortion is eternal. It shall never be stopped. No one has the power to stop abortion. Long Live planned parenthood!
4:02 Selective sex abortion is sexist and should be avoided. But it is not the same as murder.
There are so many logical fallacies, manipulations and lies in this material!
0:40 Fetus is not a "living being". It is not even an organism in the biological sense (up to the later stage of pregnancy, at least).
1:20 Abortion (in most countries) is not legal "at any time in the pregnancy" (except for special cases like woman's life or health being in danger).
1:39 "If someone were to kill that fetus, that person could be prosecuted for homicide". Nope. In most legal systems forcing a woman to have an abortion is a crime (and rightly so), but nowhere near as severely punished as homicide. Also, this line of reasoning could easily be reversed: making a woman pregnant against her will (a.k.a. a rape) is immoral, illegal and severely punished, so why do you think that keeping a woman pregnant against her will is ok?
2:22 "It is the society […] that determines whether a newborn child has a worth". Yes, and in most civilized countries the society has decided, that in the case of fetus it is the mother, who determines if to keep the pregnancy or not. Also, in the case of a newborn child it is the society who bears the burden if parents are unable to/do not want to take care of the child. Not possible with a fetus.
2:42 "Why should that be different before the human being is born". It is not even an organism in the biological sense (up to the later stage of pregnancy, at least), not to mention a "human being".
2:47 "Why does one person, get to determine whether that being has any right to live?" – Why don't you have the same reservations when it comes to the death penalty?
3:00 "It [fetus] is a separate body" – It's not. It is not even an organism in the biological sense (up to the later stage of pregnancy, at least).
3:12 People ask, "How's the baby". So what? People say "[God] bless you!" when they sneeze, but it does not make the god exist.
3:23 In most civilized countries, the boundary for a legal abortion is not at birth but typically at 12 weeks of pregnancy, when the fetus is not even an organism, not to mention a "human being". Also, many jurisdictions have much less severe punishments for infanticide (killing a newborn by the mother, because of the stress, depression, etc.) than for just any homicide.
3:46 In most civilized countries, people have already agreed, that up to 12 weeks of pregnancy the decision belongs solely to the woman, for whatever reason, no questions asked, so again this "just about everyone agrees" is just a lie.
4:04: Which part of "up to 12 weeks of pregnancy the decision belongs solely to the woman, for whatever reason, no questions asked" did you not understand?
4:12 You cannot "kill a fetus", because, guess what, it is not even an organism in the biological sense. Similarly, you cannot "kill" a tumor or a kidney (at least not as if you were killing an independent being).
I'm prolife but this arguments are presented on a poor way
Do not control babys life.
Control ur sexual desire.
God can contol life.
U can control desire.
is not the immorality of this age greater than that of Sodom and Gommora?
The first main argument I have to make against the video is that it states that the fetus is not her body, it is a seperate body. The video states that no one ever asks "how is your body" when asking about the fetus. I have to agree and disagree. When a fetus is inside of the mother, they are almost connect as one. The fetus could not survive without the mother. it is not just floating around freely like it moved into an apartment for 9 months, the mother is growing it and giving it her own nutrients to survive. Up until a certain point there is no way the fetus would survive without the mother, it is literally a part to her, they are connected literally and figuratively. Also a lot of people ask hwo the mother is doing and how her body is doing during pregnancy, especially in the beggining. The mother is extremely affected by the pregnancy and up until a certain point you should most definitely be concerned with the mothers health!!! If your wife or mom or sister is puking constantly, feels horrible, can hardly walk, in pain, emotional distress… I would hope you would be more concerned with her wellbeing at the moment. If you are a husband and your wife begins to bleed and go into shock, of course you are concerned about the baby, but I would hope the mother would come first. I watched a TV show recently set in the times before modern medicine, there was a father and he had to make the choice between saving the mother or saving the child. He chose to save the child, even as the wife screamed and cried in rejection. She was murdered. I would hope a loving husband would always choose his wife he devoted his life and heart to. I only bring up this point to emphasize the fact that the mother is the one going through this and she very much so has a choice over her body, while the things inside of her is still a part of her.
The video states that it does not make sense that the baby should not be murdered right after birth or a month or two before, but not a few month before that. That is just silly, because at around the 5.5 month (24 weeks) mark the baby can function on its own, it becomes more human and less a clump of cells that is growing inside of the mother's body. we do not call raw dough bread (eating raw dough can kill you, it is not bread), it only becomes bread ones it is cooked inside the oven to a point that it becomes bread and edible.
DISCUSSION Qs:
-If the person you loved was in emotional agony during pregnancy (extreme pain, depression because of assault, sickness), would you think of her and the child as completely equal in that moment? Who would you be more concerned about?
-Do you agree with the radical argument that all pro-choicers realistically would agree with infanticide? Is taking a bill too pass a large clump of cells (which happens very often every month for women) really the same as ending a fetusus life that could survive outside the mother's womb?
-Do you think the men who argue for Pro-life would think differently if they were the ones carrying the fetuses?
-Is it morally right to consider the fetuses right equal to the mother at the point of conception (when all it is is a zygote)?
-Is it morally right to force a child or rape victim to go through 9 months of pregancy even if they are able to terminate long before the cells even begin to resemble a human.
^^ These arguments are why I am a pro-choice supporter. I personally do not know if I could ever get an abortion, but how can we make these decisions for other mothers? Pregnancy and childbirth is such an extremely difficult process emotionally and physically and can happen as young as 9 years old in some cases. Pro-choice is not an argument to kill a fetus at any point, of course it has to be regulated in some ways! I fully formed fetus that the mom can known about for half a year is not the same as a group of cells still forming. I truly believe God would not judge the decision a woman makes if she truly thinks about it, talks to him, prays, and thinks about the childs life in the future, and the formation of the child at the point of abortion. That is a choice that the woman should be able to make (with restrictions), and not something that someone else should decide. It is not a black and white decision. There should of course be laws in place! But saying every abortion at any state and any situation is immoral or evil is wrong. Personhood beggins when the fetus is a person, can survive without the mom independently. a zygote does not have personhood that is equal to the mother. holding an partially formed clump of cells is different than holding an almost fully formed fetus.
Are we emotional creatures…yes. It's difficult to continue watching this when we cannot address all aspects of an issue. A fetus is dependent upon its host, the mother. Hence, the term viability. Everyone has the misconception that every abortion is done out of convenience. That is not the case. There are medical conditions that put the mother's life at risk and then the question becomes, whose life is more important? Does she already have children…does it really matter? Her existence has already been established and self-preservation is only logical. Or simply, human. If the same option were given to a man…how many would sacrifice their life for the POTENTIAL life of another? How many would accept the death of both (mother and child) in cases of an ectopic pregnancy? Although ectopic pregnancies are typically addressed by law, not all women are treated in a timely manner due to the ambiguous language. Research the case in Texas, reported this year (2024). Don't say that it doesn't happen…don't turn away from reality. Back to the issue or question at hand…is abortion morally right or wrong? Assuming that the pregnancy is healthy and consensual, then the abortion would be morally wrong. Mistakes included. When I say consensual, I mean that two heterosexuals were consensual in the act of creation. Impregnation was not a product of rape. You could argue that even in cases of rape and incest, it's still morally wrong to have an abortion. To force a woman, a victim, to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term, is morally wrong. To say otherwise, would be like justifying slavery and saying that it is morally ACCEPTABLE. Just food for thought. You cannot disregard the emotional and physical wellbeing of a woman on this issue. Her body is being used. And to argue that it's not her body because no one asks, "How's your body," and instead, they ask, "How's the baby," is the most ineffective argument that anyone can make. For one, most women that have had children, may discuss the bodily and mental changes that they are experiencing with one another. Something that MEN will NEVER understand. If you are a male, please lookup lightning crotch. Or how about, clitoral atrophy. No interest? Then abortion should be of little interest to you as well. Secondly, "How's the baby," is like saying "Bless you," after someone sneezes. Although you may think it, or unless it's a really good friend, you probably aren't going to ask, "How do you drive with that?" I'm only here because my husband donates to Prager University. I hope that they can realize that what we consider moral, is not an unemotional judgement. Because ONE body is shared between the mother and fetus, the pendulum will swing depending on the circumstances or the health of the pregnancy.
Human fetus has no life
Human fetus has no right
Human fetus has no value.
You have a point, the fetus is not part of your body, it is just inside your body. But did you ever consider this, that your body is your own private property, just like your house is your own private property. If a hungry and cold homeless person needs to stay in your house to live, do you have the right to kick him out, and if you do and he dies, are you guilty of murder, of course not, because you are not obligated to save him. Your uterus is like your house, even if the fetus may die because of that, but that only means that you did not rescue him, not that you murdered him. And the ethical issue you brought up, that is, whether a sexist parent will abort a fetus because it is a female, you said that many people in China do that. But actually, the hospital has a clear rule now that doctors cannot reveal the sex of the fetus to the family, to prevent the situation of aborting girls and keeping boys from occurring. If there is a method to detect if the fetus is gay in the future, I think the hospital will also surely rule that doctors cannot disclose the sexual preference of the fetus.
PragerU: “A living being doesn’t have to be a person to have intrinsic moral value and rights”
Ok, so does that mean conservatives are going to start doing something about literally any other “pro-life” issue in existence other than human fetuses? Last time I checked conservatives don’t seem to have any worries over mass executing animals in slaughterhouses in unbelievably cruel ways.
Having children should be seen as a blessing, not a curse. Moreover, some women cannot have children because of medical issues or age, or even a problem durrring delivery. That is understandible, but when women say they dont want children, but cdn still sleep with someone, that's bad. Very bad.
Bill Burr says it best. https://youtube.com/shorts/Jj3cE-i27jc?si=9zrkS1m4xLTGRP5p
Interested, please see the movie October baby based on a true story.
It is odd that Prager, a devout Jew, would take the stance that abortion is somehow immoral. Under Jewish law, abortion is not only permissible, but in some cases, it is mandatory! The Torah recognizes the difference between a potential life (fetus) and an actual life (person), and does not propound that they are of equal value. The KJB is certainly pro-birth, but there is no Judeo-Christian scriptural basis to support the idea that voluntary abortion is immoral or sinful.
Jeremiah 1 before I formed you in the womb God said I knew you Jeremiah 1
Yes sometimes abortion is immoral but in cases like grape (without a g) you say that the victim must have a child that she will resent and hate and she should always be reminded of a traumatic event.
Before you comment your opinion, please pick your poison!
Get an abortion, live with the guilty thought that you have ended the life of a fetus
Give up the child for adoption. Hope you don’t die during childbirth or experience any other dangerous pregnancy complications! Oh, not to mention that child will likely be raised in an abusive and underfunded system.
Raise the child. Hope you have some emotional stability, because if you’re not ready to be a parent, you probably won’t be a good one, and that child will likely go no-contact once it reaches adulthood.
Me an intellectual – do ANY of these so called republican "doctors" hold a medical license approved by the national medical board and give medical "advice" to a pregnant woman….. If no, your anti-abortion argument is invalid and should not be allowed to speak.
All you Republicans who preach "abortion is killing babies", You have killed thousands of living children with your anti-welfare programs. Go adopt a living child in The Foster system that your policies have destroyed.
Yes as someone who was maybe going to be aborted in other words I was once “on the chopping block” in the womb I’m so glad I didn’t get aborted. Luckily my mom was a homeless whore therefor I get to live an extremely happy life with down syndrome and aids! Thank goodness I wasn’t aborted. I really love having aids and living a low quality existence! Now after watching this video I know I have worth 😅thanks prager U
Look babes, if u wanna put more depressed gay anxious little shits out in this disappointing ass world. Go ahead but can we just shut up because at this point whats going on. Like godamn. These video are making me wish I was aborted (or whatever)
Isn’t it just typically backwards moral logic that liberals, who say that conservatives don’t have a right to say they are pro life in stopping abortions when they are pro taking life in killing murderers, while they say they are sanctify life by protecting murderers but kill babies?
The actual most important question is instead of banning abortion, shouldn't we reduce it? Making contraceptives more accessible, teaching more sex education in schools, making contraceptives more effective, those can reduce abortion. Countries that have banned abortions have higher abortion rates than countries with. Its better than reducing the problem than make it worse.
I really like how Dennis Prager puts in the perspective of the questions we really should be asking when debating abortion. A fetus does indeed have value and rights. The biggest problem I have with the abortion debate is people don't really think with logic or reason from a scientific standpoint of the reproductive system and how biology works. Instead they use emotion and insecurity to push the pro choice argument as if they have a guilty conscience. When it comes to rape, incest, or desease or some kind of a phenomena within the woman's reproductive system happens that can endanger the mother or the child, you need to do what you must. I get it things in genetics and pregnancy can happen unfortunately. BUT it must be thoroughly investigated due to the fact that these examples to "justify" and abortion only count in a small percentage of abortions on record and people can lie about having this procedure done. It needs to be taken into a case by case consideration. With that being said, I am completely against using abortion as a form of birth control. We as human beings are completely responsible for the choices we make in the bedroom or wherever the deed is done. When accidentally pregnancy happens, still take responsibility. If you don't want to have a baby either practice safe sex, put the baby up for adoption, or don't have sex at all. Why should a living being have to die and suffer because of bad decisions from both parties involved?
Well said
The rights of the mother trump all other rights. A woman governs her own body. Period.
one of my bigger points i disagree with is comparing animals to a human baby doesn't work.
animals have right. but to a certain degree. if you are gonna say animals have rights without specifying and whether they have as many rights as humans then it either doesn't work or we should treat animals like humans.
if a dog attacks another dog then the dog that attacked should be arrested, put on trial and through a court case like a human would for attacking another human or killing another human.
the dog should spend some time in prison for a specific amount of time depending on the damage they did to the other dog.
whales, fish, sharks and other sea life should be charged with polluting, killing, or illegally migrating to certain lands and borders like when humans go across the borders to other countries.
or when you have a dog that is suffering from old age or sickness and want to put it down to prevent its suffering we should let the dog decide instead of us. so we either watch the dog suffer to death naturally and not be a criminal for putting it down, or we get charged for murder for putting an animal down, or we specify what rights animals have and stop comparing babies to animals.
2:10 you don't get it. The human fetus is part of the mother, in the same way that her hair are.
Her hair can have great value if she likes it, or not any if she does not and she can get rid of them.
The fetus has only the value the parents give it.
I just simply do not agree with 1:40 statement. We need a poll.
The child may have a different body (not really since it's connected with the feeding tube, stealing resources), but why should a woman go through so much pain during its birth? At least an assault charge should be applied to the newborn…
Also, 3:46= "why is cremating ILLEGAL just a few months before death????? Doesn't make any sense :///"
Imagine if they invented a machine that transferred the pregnancy to the father… Then the roe Vs Wade would come back at light peed.
"It's not moral to force someone to carry a baby" wow, what a surprise
Lmao kill the cells
Why does Denis think he has the right to tell us what is moral and not. He's not God, he has no place to tell other humans what they should do.
Sexism and homophobia are bad. But just because some people might get abortion for sexist or homophobic reasons doesn't mean abortions should be illegal.
The fetus is not her body, sure. But the fetus uses her body in so many ways before and after birth. If a woman doesn't want to provide for a tiny human for 18+ years she shouldn't have to.
A fetus does not have any intrinsic worth. At least not any more worth than sperm or an egg.
There's already a huge issue with moral argument number 1. What about chickens? Why is Prager U not fighting for the chickens that live terrible lives in factory farms if animals have the same rights as a human?
Lmfao, any traction I thought this channel had was undone with this video
The way I see it is pro birthers are pro choice in a sense because once a child is born that is not their own, they don’t care about what happens to the child. For example, a child who is 6 months old is beaten to death by the mother or husband or boyfriend or girlfriend, where are these so called pro lifers protesting that child’s death. Oh right, their sitting on their ass waiting for the next rally or waiting to bomb an abortion clinic thus killing people, thats not very pro life, y’all should watch that law and order episode about that. Oh and we can’t forget the pro choicers, you support choice but when you finally decide to have a kid and can’t get pregnant, is that karma telling you that your not deserving of having a child because you killed your last one, why not give the child to a couple who can’t have kids or is that to hard to bare. Also if you support abortion but are against the death penalty, doesn’t that make you hypocrites. You are all for ending a life but someone who did Despicable upon his fellow man should have the right to live and not be removed from society. All this is done to distract us from the real problems of society
Saying you won't talk about an emotionally charged subject in an emotional way, then leading with an emotionally charged question seems a bit weird, doesn't it?
I think thee, old white man, for giving us this pertinent information.
It's not like we don't legally kill animals everyday.
Anyone else notice that he didn't cite his source for the "vast majority of abortions consist of healthy mothers aborting healthy fetuses" claim? Yet another reason not to take PragerU seriously: They very often don't cite their sources, or they present their sources in misleading ways.
It is simple: do you have an uterus? No? Then shut the f up about abortion
This isn't fact based, very uninformative and manipulated the entire discussion.
4:20 if it wasn't about abortion, Prager u would totally say to kill a gay! They are homophobic like that
I'm just glad the Philippines still makes abortion illegal and comparable to homicide, or better yet, infanticide…