As an educator, in topics ranging from Abortion to Zoroastrianism, I had hundreds if not thousands of opportunities to engage students in critical thinking deliberations. What follows is an actual conversation with one of my students.
Student: “Mr. Allen, you know I’m pro-choice, right?”
Me: “You know how things work here in my class. To what ‘choice’ are you referring?”
Student: “The choice to have an abortion.”
Me: “What do you mean by ‘abortion’?”
Student: “Ending a pregnancy.”
Me: “What do you mean by ‘pregnancy’”?
Student: “A fetus developing in the womb.”
Me: “So, what do you mean by ‘ending’ the development of a fetus in the womb?”
Student: “Stopping its development.”
Me: “Before I ask how you ‘stop’ the development, according to science when does life begin?”
Student: “When a baby is viable—when it can live outside the womb.”
Me: “Incorrect. According to the preponderance of scientific research, life begins at conception. I encourage you to investigate this. So, the fetus is alive in the womb. What species is the fetus?”
Student: “Human.”
Me: “Therefore, what exactly are you ‘ending’?”
Student: “The fetus’ development.”
Me: “You mean, you’re ending a human life.”
Student: “What about rape and incest!?”
Me: “You dodged my question. Still, I can’t fathom the horrors of either; it’s beyond comprehension and my heart breaks for those victims, some of whom I’ve had the opportunity of counseling into places of health and wholeness. As to your question, I can refer you to women who were impregnated through rape or incest, or were the products of rape or incest, and who remain pro-life, such as Rebecca Kiessling. Moreover, according to the latest research, the vast majority of abortions, nearly 99%, are merely elective birth control. But you didn’t answer my question. If life begins at conception, does abortion end a life?”
Student: “That’s my choice.”
Me: “So let’s recap. Your ‘choice’ is to end the life of a human being in the womb and in a violent manner, such as abortion, which leads back to my earlier question. What do you believe is the best method to end the life of a child in the womb—saline burning, dismemberment, or suctioning out?”
Student: “It doesn’t matter—my body, my choice.”
Me: “Do I need to go over the biological, physiological, and psychological distinction between the baby in the womb and the mother? I believe I’ve made that clear in class. Can you prove otherwise?”
Student: “Doesn’t matter…you won’t change my mind.”
Me: “No, but YOU opened the door to this discussion…and I believe you did so for a reason. Let’s continue the conversation over the rest of the school year, okay?”
[Six months later, I received an email from the student, a freshman in college at the time, explaining she had changed her mind about abortion and was now pro-life—thanking me for the seeds planted in her heart and mind.]
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Email Me: richardaallenjr@pondering.blog
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