“Miss Dahl was one of numerous students in her class who chose to make speeches about abortion, and most took the anti-abortion side. | ‘I was shocked that there were that many students who felt strong enough and confident enough to speak about being pro-life,’ said Nina Verin, a parent of another student in the class (whose oral argument was about war in Iraq). ‘The people I associate with in town are pro-choice, so I’m troubled
— where do these kids come from?'” Elizabeth Hyatt—Surprise, Mom: I’m Anti-Abortion (NY Times)
I really doubt that Dahl, the young woman referred to in the story’s headline, would say “Mom, I’m anti-abortion,” just as a young woman whose beliefs moved in the opposite direction wouldn’t say, “Mom, I’m anti-fetus.” Verin and several other non-journalists quoted in the story use parallel language to frame the issue: “pro-choice” vs. “pro-life”. The article notes the rhetorical effectiveness of the phrase “partial-birth abortion” vs. the more clinical, less emotional “dilation and extraction”. I was intrigued by the reporter’s reference to new imaging techniques that make a fetus “seem more human.” When weighing the rights of a pregnant woman against the status of a fetus, how much of the argument is rightly determined by perception, rather than scientific fact that exists independent of observation. A fascinating set of issues to ponder. One big question — why is this in the “Fashion” section of the newspaper?
Anonymous, my point is that a teenager who wishes to disagree with her mother’s stance on abortion is probably more likely to say that she is “pro-life” rather than “anti-abortion”, just as the mother is more likely to say that she is “pro-choice” rather than “pro-abortion”. The headline seems to put words in that teenager’s mouth.
I dont see anything wrong with the headline “Mom, Im anti-abortion.” I feel that it was a good statement. Parents always say they want to hear what their childern think. Well she was telling her mother what she thinks about abortion. And I agree whith her. Abortion is wrong. There are so many people in the world who want kids but cant have kids themselves and there are people out there who are killing their babies. Why not keep the baby through pregnancy, give the baby up for adoption and let someone who wants a baby take care of it instead of killing another human being. Those babies are human and do have rights just like everyone else. By killing that baby your not giving that baby the right to live. Your mother didnt kill you, so shy would you kill your baby?