Rhetorical Analysis On Abortion

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Appearing in USA Today, an opinion article entitled “Choose Adoption, Not Abortion” describes the life changing events that caused Marie Pozo Christie, a doctor and a member of The Catholic Association Advisory Board, to completely change her perspective of abortion. Christie describes how she once scoffed and pitied “...the yokels and the wingnuts...” who battle harsh weather to protest abortion in the March for Life; however, she soon joined these pro-life marchers when she adopted her youngest daughter, Lourdes, from China. Because families in China can only have one child due to overpopulation, most families want a baby boy because they are the ones who can work and continue the family name. Due to these strict laws, girls are often deemed …show more content…

A sizeable portion of the argument for or against abortion is based on science and the definition of when a human life begins. However, Christie’s only mention of anything remotely scientific was her statement that “… no scientist questions the fact that a zygote, embryo, fetus and infant are all human beings in different stages of development” (1). For those strongly rooted in their pro-choice opinions, Christie’s blunt statement could cause disagreement and questioning in regards to other scientific details concerning the human stages of development. Many pro-choice advocates believe and could argue that zygotes and embryos are not technically living because they are not self-sustainable and they do not yet have brain activity. Despite the possible arguments against Christie’s effectiveness, her status as a doctor proves that she understands abortion and facts about abortion, yet she chose not to include them as persuasive strategies in her article. The point of Christie’s article was not to convince others that abortion is wrong and that it should be stopped, but rather to persuade others to consider the route of adoption if possible. Because adoption is highly emotional and focused on relationships, there are not many statistics and hard facts that can persuade others to adopt, rather there are personal stories, like Christie’s, that change perspectives and motivate people to choose adoption over abortion as well as inspire families to adopt children in