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Debate Between Pro Life Versus Pro Choice

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The Art of Persuasion
The debate between Pro-Life versus Pro Choice is a difficult and unruly topic. Individuals with different backgrounds, opinions, perspectives, and experiences all have particular stances on this sensitive topic. However, any individual can make an excellent and persuasive declaration on their stance with the use of rhetoric. Judith Jarvis Thomson author of, A Defense of Abortion, and Sidney Callahan author of, Abortion and the Sexual Agenda, use rhetoric in a marvelous manner. Rhetoric is a powerful tool, as will be expressed in the pages to follow, because it allows authors and individuals to take a stance in a scholarly fashion. In both pieces authors give viewpoints from both sides of the abortion debate, which …show more content…

Thomson’s action of presenting alternative authors’ work and investigations in her writing not only gives credibility to herself, but to the persuasiveness of her argument. Opposition statements to Thomson’s’ view are presented in her writing countless times. By presenting information from the other perspective Thomson is expressing her understanding and awareness of the opposing opinions, which in return, supplements her credibility. A powerful statement from the conflicting side is expressed by Thomson, “The most familiar argument here is the following. We are told that performing the abortion would be directly killing the child, whereas doing nothing would not be killing the mother, but only letter her die” (Thomson 50). Overall, this proclamation is very compelling and uses emotion to analyze the argument, however, Thomson makes sure that the definition of direct is clearly noted on the page and that there is an example of this definition so the reader is able to truly grasp the definition. Thomson uses this definition to her advantage in explaining that direct killing also means, “The end of saving someone else’s life” (Thomson, 50). The action of presenting an argument from the contrasting viewpoint and turning it into an argument that supports her stance is an extraordinary and clever technique. This particular argument is powerful because it includes emotion with the discussion of the killing of the child or the mother, therefore, it has

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