The Great Debates: Abortion

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE PIECE!



(The following is material created by Craig Farmer to be used for private purposes only. Any public display whether profit or non-proft must be authorized by the author at cfar1969@aol.com prior to usage.)

------------------------------------------------------

The Great Debates we deserve:



ABORTION

---------------------------------------------------------------



THIS IS A TRANSCIPT OF A FICTIONAL TELEVISION DEBATE


INTRODUCTION BY THE MODERATOR

Thank-you, I am Shiela Lehman. I will be the moderator of this very important event. It is widely speculated that judicial appointments in the near future could possibly secure the votes to overturn Roe vs. Wade. At the current time the conventional wisdom is that while the additions of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito move the Court closer to a fundamental review of Roe and Casey, there are still five votes for a woman’s basic right to an abortion. Roe vs. Wade was the landmark decision in 1973 that codified a right to privacy in the 14th amendment including abortion rights.

Since then there have been many votes that have more clearly defined and limited that right. There have been 5-4 and 6-3 votes affirming the basic tenets of Roe while permitting various restrictions to exist. The most important of those later cases is Casey vs. Pennsylvania, which establishes a viability test that balances the state’s interest in protecting an unborn child, versus a woman’s right to privacy. Once the unborn child is viable, and able to survive on its’ own, the states and Federal government have a compelling interest to limit and proscribe a woman’s right. In 2007, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision upheld a ban on so-called “partial birth abortions”.

For the first time in the court’s history, it prohibited certain types of abortions irregardless of the mother’s health. The Court accepted the premise that this procedure was never medically necessary to save a woman’s health. Though both sides are making huge assumptions concerning the fate of future abortion cases, the facts are this decision actually upheld a woman’s right by stating that while partial birth abortions were heinous and unacceptable, a more traditional abortion was available. This is clearly an issue for our generation that everyone has had to confront on some level. Tonight we have gathered various leaders from different perspectives to debate the issue more thoroughly than usual. The nature of our current politics induces short answers with little detail.

Tonight we want each person to be able to explain all aspects of their perspective to you. Snyder Associates have found 600 Americans who are willing to listen to all sides and attempt agreement as to what our public policy should be. Towards the end of tonight's program these Americans will take part in a questionnaire that goes to the heart of the matter. Hopefully by seeing how fair-minded Americans decide after hearing a healthy debate this will help you determine what America you want to live in.