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    Is Abortion Logical?
    Is Abortion Logical?
    Is Abortion Logical?
    Ebook75 pages53 minutes

    Is Abortion Logical?

    By Duane L. Ostler

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    About this ebook

    Arguments in favor of abortion are humorously exposed as illogical, by way of compelling (but rather unusual) examples, logical reasoning and historical/legal research. Justifications for abortion which are shot down in this volume are: the 'right' of privacy; the assertion that 'it's my body and I can do what I want with it;' in vitro fertilization; social problems allegedly linked to fertility; the fallacy that unsafe abortions will occur if abortion is not legalized; and more.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDuane L. Ostler
    Release dateMay 2, 2019
    ISBN9780463331613
    Is Abortion Logical?
    Author

    Duane L. Ostler

    Duane L. Ostler was raised in Southern Idaho, and has lived in Australia, Mexico, Brazil, China, Utah, the big Island of Hawaii, and—most foreign of all—New Jersey. He practiced law for over 10 years and has a PhD in legal history. He and his wife have five children and two cats.

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      Book preview

      Is Abortion Logical? - Duane L. Ostler

      IS ABORTION LOGICAL?

      by Duane L. Ostler

      Originally published as ‘Abortion is not Logical’ under pen name ‘E. Reltso’

      Copyright 2012 Duane L. Ostler

      Revised and updated by the author, 2019

      This book may not be reproduced, copied or distributed

      without the express permission of the author.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      CHAPTER 1: Introduction

      CHAPTER 2: It’s my body, and I can do what I want with it

      CHAPTER 3: A fetus is just a weird part of my own body that I can dispose of

      CHAPTER 4: A fetus is an unwanted invader I can get rid of

      CHAPTER 5: I have a constitutional right to privacy which justifies abortion

      CHAPTER 6: It’s not a baby/person until it can survive on its own

      CHAPTER 7: In vitro fertilization embryos may be thrown away,which justifies abortion

      CHAPTER 8: The Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade based its decision on history

      CHAPTER 9: Criminalizing Abortions will result in the use of dangerous methods

      CHAPTER 10: Pregnancy should not be a punishment

      CHAPTER 11: Without abortion, social problems will increase

      CHAPTER 12: It’s inconvenient and uncomfortable to have an unwanted child

      CHAPTER 13: A word about infanticide and the born alive botched abortion

      CHAPTER 14: I’m being forced to have an abortion – I have no choice

      CHAPTER 15: Are there any exceptions?

      CHAPTER 16: Conclusion

      Other books by the author

      CHAPTER 1

      Introduction

      Can abortion be defined with logic, supported with logic, and defended in ways that are compelling and hold up under logical scrutiny? Or is it flat-out illogical no matter how you look at it? These direct and simple questions will be answered by this book.

      However, before getting started, we need to clear up some issues about the terms that are used in the abortion debate. To begin with, just what do ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice’ really mean, anyway? Neither term is completely logical as an abortion slogan. It's true that life is good and so is choice, while death is bad, and so is lack of choice, or in other words force. Both sides of the abortion debate have therefore chosen compelling (but vague) words to define their positions while throwing jibes at the other side. But these words can easily be reversed, as the following dialogue will demonstrate:

      Nice day, isn’t it?

      Sure is. Gonna get hot later, though.

      Whatcha readin?

      A book about abortion.

      Really? Is it written by a pro-deather, or a pro-forcer?

      What?

      Pro-death, or pro-force? Which viewpoint is it?

      You’re a bit confused about your terms. You mean ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice,’ don’t you?

      You mean there’s a difference between those, and pro-death and pro-force?

      Certainly!

      So, what side is ‘pro-choice?’ Are they saying unborn babies should have a choice about whether to live?

      No, you’ve got it backwards. ‘Pro-choice’ means people who feel women should have a choice about whether to have an abortion.

      By ignoring their baby’s choice, right?

      No, not at all. They feel the fetus is not yet a baby, and is therefore incapable of making a choice, so the mother does it for them.

      Cool! Like, ‘say fetus, you didn’t really want to live after all, did you? So I’m making the choice for you, to terminate your existence.

      No, you’ve still got it all wrong. You’re confused.

      So, pro-life means people who think it’s a woman’s life, so she should be free to have an abortion, right?

      No, you’ve got it backwards again. Pro-life is the term for those who are against abortion.

      By saying the baby’s life is more important than the mother’s?

      Why don’t we just go back to talking about the weather?

      At this point, you’re probably wondering what type of nut I am, to start a book on abortion in such a flippant way. After all, abortion is a serious topic no matter which side of the debate you're on. It is considered indelicate to smile and talk about abortion at the same time. It's a topic that is usually accompanied by frowns, finger pointing, yelling, snorts of disgust and a healthy dose of profanity.

      But not for people like me. You see, I am a boring research academic. I make my living sitting in musty corners of university libraries that haven't had a living soul disturb their dust in decades (some would say they still experience no visit, even after I arrive. However, I assure you I AM a living soul). I have four degrees adorning the walls of my book infested office. My first degree--a BS of course--was in economics. (You can verify how much it’s helped by counting the times I’ve been penniless since I got the degree). My last degree was a PhD, or phud. As my kids like to point out, it basically means I'm a doctor of nothing. Boring research academics like me have to spike up their writings a bit, so at least spiders who crawl across the pages of their manuscripts (who are likely to be the only ones to read it) have something to laugh about.

      Anyway, back to abortion. It seems to me that much of the argument is not based on logic. It’s more of an emotional issue, with a trace of logic thrown in, like a teaspoon of gravy trying to give flavor to a 10 pound plate of potatoes. Take for example, the first reviews that the first edition of this book received on Barnes and Noble. Two were extremely positive, while two were extremely negative. One of the negative reviews said

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