Andy Miller’s heart was racing full throttle and his stomach felt like a toxic waste dump. The frantic 16-year-old was about to stand before the firing squad in fifth-period speech—and attempt to say something intelligent.
His assignment: Go head to head with another student and debate abortion. Andy would make a pro-life case for preborn babies.
His opponent: Nicole Swan, Central High’s student body president (popular, voted “most likely to succeed,” a straight-A student and . . . GULP! . . . a convincing speaker).
Andy had a reputation for being pro-life ever since a news crew filmed him and his youth group praying outside an abortion clinic. But when his speech teacher insisted his final project be a debate, Andy came down with a big case of the jitters.
I’m NO EXPERT! he thought. What on earth have I gotten myself into?!
PRO-CHOICE: NICOLE'S DEFENSE
Nicole kicked off the action, blasting away with several popular arguments for abortion.
“A woman has the right to privacy over her own body,” she insisted. “NO man should ever take that away. What happens in a clinic is solely the business of a woman and her doctor.”
Nicole paused, tossed back her long brunette hair, then locked her eyes with Andy’s. “Just what are these anti-abortionists trying to prove, anyway? They distort the truth and tug at our emotions,” she added. “They show ghastly photos of dead babies in buckets and try to make the pro-choice side look like heartless butchers.”
A few howls rose from the class. Andy slid down in his seat and nervously fumbled through his notes. I’m dead! he panicked.
“An abortion is a safe and simple medical procedure that doesn’t murder a baby,” Nicole continued. “It merely puts an end to an unwanted pregnancy.”
“Let’s review the facts . . . “
Nicole then launched into her arguments without even looking at her notes:
• The fetus is just a part of the pregnant woman’s body, like her tonsils or appendix.
• The preborn is a simple blob of tissue. So abortion is terminating a pregnancy, not killing a baby.
• The fetus is a potential human being, not an actual one; it’s like a blueprint, not a house.
• Life begins at birth. That’s why we celebrate birthdays, not conception days.
• Reproductive freedom is a basic right. Therefore, every woman should have control over her own body and have the right to choose.
• If abortion is made illegal, thousands of women will lose their lives to “rusty clothes hangers” in back alleys.
• The preborn isn’t a person with meaningful life. It can’t even think and is less advanced than an animal.
• It’s unfair to bring an unwanted child into this world. He’ll probably end up abused.
Nicole’s Final Punch
After walking the class through these key “pro-choice” points, Nicole pulled out the heavy artillery and ended her speech with a jolt: “What about a woman whose preborn baby is diagnosed as deformed or handicapped?” she asked. “What about a woman who is pregnant due to rape or incest? Isn’t it more cruel to force her to have the baby than to end the pregnancy . . . and erase the horrible memory?
“That radical minority that calls itself pro-life can’t shove its religious beliefs down our throats,” Nicole concluded. “And we can’t let those people step all over our right to free choice.”
The room thundered with applause. Nearly everyone clapped and howled in support.
Nicole walked past Andy and smiled. “Good luck, Miller. You’ll need it!”
A Den of Lions
It was Andy’s turn now, and it was almost as if fifth-period speech had transformed from a safe classroom to a dangerous jungle filled with fierce predators.
The football-sized hands on the school’s quarterback suddenly looked more like the deadly paws of a husky lion. Even the speech teacher’s tall, fluffy beehive resembled the matted mane of the king of beasts.
Andy swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. Lord, they’re gonna pounce on every word and chew up every idea, he prayed. I’m in a den of lions. HELP!
“And now, class, we’ll hear an anti-abortion argument from Andy Miller,” the teacher announced.
Andy took his place and scanned the crowded classroom. His knees shook and his mouth felt like it was full of peanut butter. But he tried to concentrate on all the things his youth pastor had taught him . . . and all the spine-chilling photos he had seen.
It’s up to me to set the facts straight, he thought.
PRO-LIFE: ANDY'S DEFENSE
Truth Is Truth
“Nicole bombarded us with point after point about women’s rights and free choice,” Andy said. “But she completely missed what’s really at stake: a living, functioning HUMAN LIFE.”
A few groans rose from the crowd. Andy gripped the table and focused on his notes. “Pro-abortionists blast pro-lifers for showing photos of dead babies in buckets, claiming we’re distorting fact with cheap theatrics.
“But truth is truth. Abortion amounts to discarded dead babies.”
“Let’s review the facts . . . “
Andy’s last statement made a few more heads pop up, but he knew he faced an uphill battle. So he stepped to the side of the table and tried to make eye contact with each kid in class as he continued his speech:
• A fetus is NOT just another part of a woman’s body. A body part is defined by the common genetic code it shares with the rest of its body. The preborn’s genetic code differs from his mother’s. Some preborn children are even male, while their moms are female.
• A preborn human is NOT just a blob of tissue. From the moment of conception the preborn is a separate, LIVING human being.
• A fetus is NOT just a blueprint or a “potential human.” A fetus is a person at a particular stage of development—much like a toddler or adolescent. The fact is, something that is nonhuman does not become human by getting older and bigger.
• Life does NOT begin at birth. Science has shown us that human life begins at conception. All genetic characteristics of a distinct individual are present from the moment of conception. Our recognition of birthdays is cultural, not scientific.
• Restricting abortion does NOT step all over a woman’s “rights and freedoms.” If anything, it ensures the rights and freedoms of the preborn. The one-time choice of abortion robs someone else of a lifetime of choices. Furthermore, responsible societies must restrict choices that would harm others.
• If abortion is made illegal, tens of thousands of women will NOT die from rusty clothes hangers. Prior to its legalization, 90 percent of abortions were done by physicians in their offices, not in back alleys. In fact, women in America still die from legal abortions.
• The early stage of human life IS as meaningful as any other stage. But if we listened to pro-abortionists who based human value on size and intelligence, then we’d also have to dehumanize other members of society: dwarves, the mentally handicapped, etc.
• Since human life IS valuable, every human IS wanted. A pregnancy may be “unwanted,” but there is no such thing as an unwanted child. The list of couples wanting to adopt runs into the millions. And if we exclude all human beings whom we believe are “unwanted,” then any segment of society is at risk: AIDS victims, the elderly, the homeless, etc.
Andy’s Final Punch
“Using phrases like ‘terminating a pregnancy’ may sound better, but the fact is abortion IS deadly,” Andy pointed out. “EVERY abortion stops a beating heart and terminates measurable brain waves.”
The entire class sat perfectly still. The snide smirks and rolling eyes had turned to blank stares. Nicole looked bored and occasionally glanced out the window or scribbled little circles on her algebra book cover.
Andy stepped farther away from the table and delivered his knockout blow: “Americans kill nearly 1 million preborn babies a year through abortion,” he explained. “That’s more than 2,700 a day or one about every 30 seconds.
“Hitler killed 6 million Jews,” Andy continued. “But since 1973, Americans have exterminated more than 44 million preborn babies. No matter what some believe, the truth is, abortion kills—and that’s wrong.”
As Andy closed, the fierce lions in fifth-period speech began to look a lot more like sleeping house cats. And even if he didn’t change everyone’s mind, Andy set the facts straight and did his part for the pro-life cause. 
