Before I post today’s challenge, I want to thank everyone who sent in answers for Challenge 3: Abortion. Here are the best responses we’ve received so far:
Why abortion should be legal
Women have the right to physical autonomy and control over their own health and wellness.
Abortion is a fundamental human right.
Abortion relieves society’s financial burden of housing, feed, clothing, and providing healthcare for unwanted children.
Legal abortion eliminates illegal back-alley procedures that put the mother’s life in danger.
Religious arguments against abortion not only cross the barrier between church and state but ignore the spiritual argument that a soul cannot be destroyed.
Why abortion should not be legal
Fetuses and embryos should be legally considered “persons” and therefore have the same right to life as all other legal persons.
Abortion can cause undue emotional trauma for the mother.
Abortion should be illegal because America is a Christian country, therefore Christian values should prevail.
There’s no proof that an abortion does not cause the fetus pain.
If a woman doesn’t have the moral strength of character to take responsibility for her own child, she can always put it up for adoption.
Commentary
“You cannot disregard the religious injunction against abortion because most Americans are Christian and Christianity does not accept abortion.”
“I did my best to think of good a good reason why abortion shouldn’t be legal, but I couldn’t come up with any!”
Do you agree or disagree with these responses? Let me know in the comments
CREATIVE ANALYSIS: Critical Thinking
Pro Abortion Rights
Core: Women have the right to autonomous control over their bodies
Supporter emotional base: defensive
Emotional intent: passion, outrage
Political intent: individual control
Anti Abortion Rights
Core: the state has the right to control female reproduction
Supporter emotional base: lust for power
Emotional intent: fear, outrage
Political intent: population control
CREATIVE ANALYSIS: Debate Protocol
Pro Abortion
Response to: loss of women’s rights
Emotional pushback against: male dominance
Anti Abortion
Response to: women’s rights
Emotional pushback against: loss of male control
CREATIVE ANALYSIS: Abstract Reasoning
Pro Abortion
Missing dots: emotional consequences of aborting a child
Long-term consequences: depends on individual emotional/psychological health
Excessive dots: individual rights
Long-term consequences: unknown
Anti Abortion
Missing dots: state abandonment of children’s needs
Long-term consequences: continued social/political/religious polarization
Excessive dots: religious injunction
Long-term consequences: increased questioning/loss of religious followers
CREATIVE ANALYSIS: Focused Ingenuity
Pro Abortion
What if: society made abortion alternatives (adoption, state care) more accessible and less demoralizing
So what (why is it important): women and children should not be reduced to political footballs
Anti Abortion
What if: abortion is Step 1 in eliminating women’s, children’s, and other groups’ rights. (This “what if” is already in operation, thus validating banning’s efficacy)
So what (why is it important): if women to continue to enjoy and exercise autonomy and individual rights, men risk losing supremacy and dominance
Challenge #4: Socialism
A: List five positives about socialism.
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B: List five negatives about socialism.
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Again, remember the rules:
Logical or fact-based answers only
No religious, faith-based, or proven untruths
Keep your answers brief; pleonasm will not be read
You may work with as many study buddies as you want
Talk to family, friends, co-workers, other people—especially those with which you don’t usually agree. Check out sources you’d normally never consider. And share your answers by next Wednesday so we can all become more literate, informed voters!
When you’re done, ask yourself: Did I learn anything?
Did my needle move?
You can send in your answers three ways:
Email them to ruse2v@gmail.com | Subject: Challenge Answers. Your name and email will be confidential.
Use the submission form at https://rusmartenough2vote.com/submit-your-answers/. Your name and email will be confidential.
Leave them as a comment on https://csharris.substack.com
Have challenge questions of your own? Email them to ruse2v@gmail.com or leave them as a comment.
And share! Send this challenge to everyone in your personal and business networks. Let’s make these challenges the thing-to-do for the 2024 election!
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