Anika Top- Abortion, the "jack-of-all-rhetorical-trades"

Abortion is one of those political issues that call forth all sorts of rhetoric and passion from either side of the issue. Each side feels free to call each other names, stereotype leaders, provide false information, and act contrary to their words and beliefs. The ideographs(systems of ideas and ideals, specifically ones that form a platform of economic or political theory and policy) in play here would be best described as Conservative and Liberal. These two sides latch onto positive-sounding phrases that mean the exact opposite. Both parties claim to be “Pro-Women” and base their arguments off this basic principle. It is very interesting, and almost comedic, to see how each side twists specific rhetorical devices to be in exact opposition to the beliefs of the side.

The Liberal side uses this “Pro-Women” catchphrase to allow women to decide how they can use their bodies. They believe women should be free to choose if they want to have an abortion. They argue that it is their body and they can do what they want. To justify these views and make it more medically acceptable they add the issue that sometimes it is healthier for women to abort than wait for the full-term. The Liberal side tries to find provocative photos to illustrate their points in a very real way.

The Conservative counter-part uses the “Pro-Women” slogan in another manner. They ask what about all the unborn women that are aborted? They have no choice or rights. They argue that the Liberal side robs these baby girls the choice about anything, not just the choice about having an abortion or not. These Conservatives believe that it isn’t a woman’s body alone, but there is a child inside as well. This side switches between trying to persuade people to be anti-abortion by showing graphic photos (which I will not include here) of aborted babies or strict logic.

Euphemisms are tempered or indirect words (or expressions) substituted for one which sounds too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. Examples of euphemisms in the abortion debate would be the terms: “Pro-Choice” and “Pro-Life.” Both sides choose positive sounding descriptions of their side on the issue, but when describing the other side, both parties label each other either “Anti-Choice/Anti-Abortion” or “Anti-Life/Pro-Death.” Another way this debate is spun into greater proportions is when both sides use slavery arguments to deal with the abortion issue as well. The two quotes beneath demonstrate this:

                 Fascinating how one political issue can make use of so many rhetorical devices, I did not even cover the other devices of propaganda, Topoi, “select, reflect, deflect”, or the specific oratorical categories explained in class. Is it wise that each side tries to cover so many rhetorical devices and is it helpful to their cause? Or they should stick to a specific argument and stick with it? Who is to say, because the abortion debate continues to rage after almost 5 decades…