The Perspective newspaper recently ran an editorial written by Alec Middleton entitled “Abortion is murder.” It then came as no surprise that the editorial was met with numerous strong and passionate comments. I found myself deeply angered upon discovering the editorial. Now, I don’t usually have issues with people who are pro-life. I respect their opinions so long as they respect mine, and I have never had arguments or violent debates ever spring from our encounters. Why, then, did this editorial cause me, and numerous others, to feel such fury? In short, this story was one written of such ignorance and narrow mindedness that I couldn’t remain silent.

 

Middleton titled his piece “Abortion is murder.” This very statement is incorrect. The working definition of “murder” (a legal term) is the unlawful killing of a human being with premeditated malice. Because abortions are legal, it is therefore not unlawful. Malice is the intention and desire to cause harm to another person. When a woman gets an abortion, her intention is not to harm or kill her “child,” it is to protect herself from going through the nine months of torture that pregnancy brings, and the eighteen years that will follow of her being forced to care for a tiny human that she likely cannot properly provide for. By definition, an abortion is not a murder in any way.

 

Middle slaps on a Twitter poll at the bottom of his editorial. The poll shows the results of how many students are pro-life versus pro-choice. 73 percent of the responses are pro choice. Middleton fails to acknowledge this poll within his editorial. 73 percent of the 89 users polled disagree with his belief, and Middleton takes none of this into consideration with his story. This poll barely shows Middleton presenting the “other side” to this argument, and is extremely out of place with all the passionate ranting Middleton has placed above it. A statistics only helps you if you actually use it.

 

I believe that women deserve every right to do with their body what they will. The argument against abortion is often a narrow minded one. Middleton wrote, “It is very simple to avoid making a child if you don’t want one.” This statement is full of ignorance. No form of birth control, other than a hysterectomy, having your tubes cut, or abstinence, is 100 percent effective. Condoms are only 98 percent effective, and birth control is only 92 percent effective. That means that it is not a guaranteed way to avoid pregnancy. There are many ways that couples can practice safe sex and still end up with an unwanted pregnancy.Thus, you will have made the decision to never have any children in your life. A decision that most females are not prepared to make so early in their lives.

 

In his editorial, Middleton references a video of a fully developed baby having its organs harvested, and labels it a “live abortion.” This label is completely incorrect for this video. According to an article published by The Guardian, multiple medical experts after having viewed the video in question firmly believe that the action is definitely not an abortion and most likely a premature delivery due to a miscarriage. Middleton took this information from former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, who used to video to add to her pro-life campaign. It would seem that Middleton did not look deep enough into his “sources” to see that they were riddled with inaccuracy.

 

Middleton also mentions Planned Parenthood being upset that the video was released, but claims “I think that the video depicts the truthful horror of abortion and there was no wrong doing in releasing the video because it shows the corruption of Planned Parenthood.” First, this private video was released without any form of permission and was entirely mislabeled as to what was actually depicted in the video, wrongly casting Planned Parenthood in a negative light. Of course they would, and should, be upset. Second, if anyone ever actually believed that this video was an abortion, then they are not informed enough to be debating abortion. The only foundation for this part of his argument is the word of a single Republican politician. Why Middleton thought this was sufficient evidence, we may never know.

 

Middleton also presents the claim that if someone doesn’t want a child they should put the child up for adoption, giving it a “stable life.” While the child may grow up in a financially stable life, many adopted children face psychological issues growing up in these homes. Many feel abandoned by their birth parents, or depressed that they weren’t good enough. A lot of them face the question “Why was I given up?” This is all assuming that the child gets adopted. The adoption system is flawed. It will often take over a year for a family trying to adopt to finally receive a child. Children remaining in foster care have completely unstable lives moving around from home to home. Such conditions lead to depression and even crime.

 

Here is the sole instance where I remotely agree with Middleton: the best time to get an abortion is during the first trimester, because a human being has not been created. A pile of cells have divided into a tiny lump that slightly resembles the shape of a human body. Suppose you had a full grown two-month-old in one hand, and a petri dish with a fertilized zygote in the other. You have to drop one. Would you drop the baby or the clump of cells? If you truly believe that all abortions are murder, this choice should be impossible for you to make. A zygote is not a baby, it is a pile of multiplying cells. A zygote has no consciousness. What a zygote does have is the potential to ruin someone’s life if they did not want a child because they cannot sufficiently care for one.

 

After discussing Middleton’s editorial with peers, I noticed a popular opinion among females. Many find this editorial even more infuriating simply because it was written by a male. I must say, this makes sense. Between a mother and a father, the mother is much more involved in the pregnancy than the father. This is a biological fact. Men are capable of walking away from an unwanted pregnancy. A female is not. No man has the right to tell a woman what she can and can’t do with her body. Men do not own women, and have not legally owned women since the Emancipation Proclamation. Middleton uses language in his editorial that suggests superiority over a woman requesting an abortion. Language such as “…abortion in the first trimester MAY be performed…If this is not the case…the woman MUST have the child.” Even if Middleton did not mean to imply supremacy, his extremely poor choice of words has rightfully offended a number of females. A woman “may” have an abortion? A woman “must” have a child? Who is Middleton to give a woman permission to do with her body what she wishes? What authority does this teenage boy have over my body? A man’s severe lack of experience living with a female body should immediately disqualify him from having any say in how a woman handles her body. As Cameron Esposito, entertainer as well as women’s rights advocate, said, “Women deserve access to abortion serves. We do because we are not incubators…Something that you choose shouldn’t affect my choice. If you are pro-life, truly, you should be pro-women’s lives.”

 

Middleton’s eventual point to his weak rant is that the organization Planned Parenthood should be defunded due to its “corruption.” Middleton fails to elaborate on what this said “corruption” is. The fact is, Planned Parenthood is not an abortion factory. Abortions only make up three percent of services that Planned Parenthood provides. The other 97 percent of services carried out by Planned Parenthood are not abortions. Plenty of these services involve contraception, which actually goes toward preventing abortions. The primary goal of Planned Parenthood is to provide sexual health care. This includes treating STDs, teaching abstinence, providing aid for pregnancies, aid for those struggling with body image, sexuality, gender, and many more services to help everyone with sexual health. Society needs an organization liked Planned Parenthood to comfortably provide the services that general health care sweeps under the rug.

 

Much like with the prohibition, making abortions illegal and defunding Planned Parenthood would not stop all abortions from happening. It would, however, lead to more at-home abortions performed by those who desperately can not or do not want to have a child. Middleton states that he believes abortions are okay in cases of rape or severe health reasons, yet he calls to abolish one of the sole organizations that provide safe abortions. This disorganized argument has a truly disturbing lack of logic and regard for women’s health and safety. The hypocrisy in Middleton’s writing shines bright in his acceptance of abortions in the case of rape. If all zygotes are living humans, then why does abortion in this case differ from others?

 

The fact that this article was allowed to be published is appalling, but I am grateful that it gave me a strong motivation to set the record straight. I am not writing to force people to agree with abortions. I am writing to beg the masses to reject the ignorance that often riddles pro-life arguments such as Middleton’s. All the information I have provided I have checked for accuracy. This sad attempt at a persuasive editorial is why I must stand up and speak out. My quarrel is not with Middleton’s pro-life stance. It is that he is failing to take responsibility for this poorly written, incorrect, and hypocritical garbage. Audiences’ initial complaints to Middleton have been met with the standard “that’s your opinion” and “first amendment” responses. It is my opinion that Middleton needs to admit that this editorial was flawed and little effort was put into validating his premises. The editorial fails as an argument, it fails as a piece of literature, and it fails as a reason to trust any further persuasive pieces Middleton may produce in the future. This ignorant and lazy piece doesn’t belong in a high school paper, and it doesn’t belong in any form of publishment.

 

Ally Boulware

Salem Senior