Jennifer Fulwiler tells the story of her transition from pro choice to pro life. What is her argument? And be careful. You need to listen to the whole thing before you decide what you think her argument is. What rhetorical strategies does she use to make her argument? And is she successful or unsuccessful?
Be prepared to answer a few listening check questions on Monday.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, "I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts...Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion." In her pro-life conversion story, Jennifer Fulwiler articulates that society has laid the foundation of the pro-choice stance upon a series of lies, whether it pertains to what is truly going on in abortion facilities or to what our nation is supporting. Babies have been unjustly perceived as the enemy, which is why Mother Teresa refers to abortion as a war against the unborn child.
ReplyDeleteFulwiler begins her discussion with an appeal to pathos, detailing a strong emotional connection between herself and a young girl that took place at a prior March For Life: a connection that, despite the fact it lasted for a split second, continues to influence her mentally and spiritually to this day. She conveys vivid imagery, recalling "the girl with the cute pixie haircut and pretty blue eyes" who displayed an unforgettable expression: "How could you be one of these people who betrays us women? How could you stand with a movement that takes away women's freedom over their bodies?" Fulwiler wishes she could someday meet this girl over a cup of coffee. That is how her story, more importantly her miraculous conversions, came to life.
Fulwiler's background, particularly her conversion from Atheism to Catholicism and from pro-choice to pro-life, established credibility from the onset. Her argument from a logical standpoint is structured around the Catholic Church. Its teachings are the epitome of intellectual consistency, as they never contradict each other. Fulwiler discusses the satisfaction that her conversion to Catholicism instilled in her: It was like "finding the owner's manual to the human soul." Later on, against her husband's requests, she researched the Supreme Court case Stenberg v. Carhart. Something about it made her sick to her stomach, but she would not disclose the details. I decided to track down exactly what she was referring to, and I found it. It is sickening. That is all I can say. Dr. LeRoy Carhart, an experienced abortionist, related killing babies in their later stages to the idea of "putting meat in a crock pot." If that does not stir up emotions of anger, disgust, sadness, etc., or invoke a call to action, I don't know what will. Another point she brings up is that our culture has mistakenly separated the inherent act of sexual intercourse and its potential to create new life. In other words, the chance to reproduce should not be a concern, as long as couples adhere to contraception or protected sex. She uses rhetorical antithesis to support this claim, alluding to modern society. Images of sex are antithetical to those associated with new born life. For example, sex is never depicted with diapers or strollers or pacifiers. Instead, it is portrayed passionately and intimately, usually with two people treating each other more as objects. She discovered that the root of all this tension was actually love for women. Because they were abiding by the "rules" of contraception, she did not think it was fair to hold women accountable for an unwanted pregnancies. Fulwiler argues that this is what led to the dehumanizing of the "enemy of sex," unborn children themselves.
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ReplyDeleteContinued...
ReplyDeleteWhat is to blame then? If you ask Fulwiler, it's contraception. She validates this claim through the anecdote about Linda's unfortunate set of circumstances. Conditions when it is acceptable to have sex and conditions when it is acceptable to have a baby were always compatible with one another. Not anymore. We live in a generation where a woman's entire understanding of human sexuality is founded upon a fabrication. Ultimately, Jennifer Fulwiler asserts that sacrifice is a necessary component in preserving the special connection between the act of sex and its ability for procreation. Sacrifice is the key to true respect and freedom for a woman and her unborn child. Without it, as Mother Teresa suggested, we will all be at war, fighting the wrong battle, against the wrong enemy.
Personally, I believe Jennifer Fulwiler was successful in the message that she conveyed. She not only provided knowledge with regards to the teachings of the Catholic Church but also helped portray things from a different perspective. Her podcast definitely had an effect on me, considering I felt compelled to find out what Dr. LeRoy Carhart said and to take a look at Part I, Section 16 of Pope Paul VI's encyclical, Humanae Vitae. Without a doubt, this blog was the one in which I invested the most amount of time, and I know it was for something that truly matters.
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DeleteJared,
DeleteYour connection you made to Mother Theresa and Jennifer Fulwiler was what made your blog unique. This connection is an example that the Catholic Church is always consistent in its teachings. Jennifer tells us that this consistency is what drew her to the Catholic Church, because is proof that the knowledge is true. Many people, however, are still living without this truth because they are being lied to. This is why the blog this week was so important, to make people aware of the truth.
Jared:
DeleteYour blog was well thought out, and exceptional. First off the incorporation of Mother Teresa into your blog was a great idea and you did it beautifully! I am happy you explained the glance she got from the young woman at the March for life. In your blog you elaborated on how the enemy is often the baby, which is sad. How can such a beautiful part of creation be looked at in that way? When you talked about the baby being the enemy, you brought mother Teresa back into it and I liked how that flowed. The antithesis you discovered was excellent, and helped me understand that better so good job with that. As always, you used intelligent language which makes this better. I enjoyed reading your blog, and I'm happy this blog had an effect on you, as well as me. Great work, Jared.
Jared,
DeleteYour blog was excellent. Your quote by Mother Thresea fit in beautifully to your blog and was a great introduction. I think the strongest part of your blog was when you talked about the Supreme Court case between Stenberg vs Carhart. Despite the lack of information Jennifer gave due to the gruesome acts she did not want to discuss, you went the extra mile and discussed in detail what really happened. It really gave me a sense of what is actually out their in the world when it comes to abortion. As you always do in your writing, your vocabulary was exceptional. It was obvious you put a lot of effort into this blog, great work!
Hey bud,
DeleteAwesome blog! Wouldn't expect any less from you haha. I thought the addition of the quote from Mother Teresa as the introduction was a great way to start off the blog!
Jared,
DeleteWow!! You really did a nice job on your blog. I really liked how you put in quotes from Mother Thresia. That made your blog so much stronger. Also I wanted to research that case too but I did not get to that. Hopefully I will though. Great job.
Jennifer Fulwiler gives a profound and necessary story of her conversion from a pro-choice supporter to a pro life activist, and even an atheist to a Catholic. She begins by talking about her past views, views that are shared by many other people who support the killing of babies. Yes, KILLING OF BABIES. Jennifer explains that when pro life activists would claim that abortion is the killing of babies she as well as other pro choice people would laugh and think of that as comical and far fetched. Of course they didn't want to kill babies, they just wanted the women to be free, so they thought. This is what Jennifer Fulmiler argues, that those who are pro choice are caught up in the lie that society tells them. She even uses personal experience as she explains how the doctors kept suggesting the use of contraceptions, and scratched their head knowing she used natural family planning.
ReplyDeleteWe as Catholics believe that life beings at conception. Jennifer, still pro choice, thought to herself, "no life doesn't begin then. How can cells be considered a living human?" She began to look at different websites showing ultrasounds and pictures as well as videos of babies yawning. She even admitted that she said "oh wow the baby is yawning, no the fetus, the fetus is yawning!" At this point she discovered Catholics might not be wrong in their stance. Later in her story, she explains that some abortions take place late into the pregnancy, so late that if that baby was brought into the world, it would be place in the NICU. The NICU is for premature babies and they are cared for intensively and usually survive their early birth. Now Jennifer makes an incredible point following this. How would people respond to the elimination and murder of those babies in the NICU? They would be furious and anyone in the right state of mind should be! Now what if I told you that babies of THE EXACT SAME AGE were being eliminated and murdered in the womb. These same babies that kick in the womb. These same babies that make fists in the womb. These same babies that swallow in the womb. But you tell me that is not living? You tell me that is just a fetus. THAT IS HUMAN LIFE.
Continued:
ReplyDeleteMrs. Fulwiler later explains in her conversion story that while she was starting to understand the pro life position, she and her husband came across the court case of Stenberg v. Carhart. How mentally painful this was and it upset her the more she read, yet she continued to read, hoping to find something positive. She found a statement from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in which she thought they were going to respond with views for pro-life due to the gruesomeness of Carhart procedures including the removal of babies body parts. To her surprise, this American College of doctors, well educated doctors as she puts it, responded to a better solution for abortions. In their suggestion, they had a plan on how to make the decapitated heads of the babies less of a problem for the women. Yes professionals debating on how to make a decapitated head of a baby easier to remove out of a women. But pro choice people support this? They wake up each day and believe they are right and we are crazy for protesting this? Listening to this podcast I kept wondering to myself how did it take her this long to change and realize the truth? The reason was because she and many many other women are told an abundant amount of lies. A lie that abortion is what is best for them and that they care about them through this process. What they care about is the money they can make. So many women go through emotional trouble following their abortion but the doctors that "care" about these women so much do not ever mention that to them before the procedure. What we do hear about is that their "problem" is now fixed, this problem they say is a baby. Matt Birk, a former NFL center who spoke at this years March for Life, took his stance on how much of a "problem" or "burden" a pregnancy is. Birk said "We march, because I've never heard a woman give birth to a baby and say, 'I wish I had an abortion.' We march because I've never heard a mother say 'I wish I didn't have this many kids." Yet you call a pregnancy a problem. We as Catholic's know a pregnancy is a gift from God and the birth of a new born child is a miracle in itself.
This years theme for the March for Life is "Pro-life and pro women go hand in hand." I think this is such a fitting theme for this year and something that needs to be brought into the blog as Jennifer brings that topic up about women and how they want to have freedom. Many advocates of pro choice feel that they should have the freedom to have sex and not have to worry about the burden of a pregnancy. No! Human life is not a burden. All of the pain and suffering that comes with abortion is a burden though, so being pro life is being pro women. Being pro life is respecting your body and being the women God has called you to be.
Finally, Jennifer Fulwiler argues that those who are pro choice are struggling to find the truth, as they believe the lies that abortion has to offer. Her appeal to pathos is her best rhetorical strategy she uses. If you listen to this podcast, a little fire has to start in your stomach and make you angered or upset by abortion. She does a wonderful job of telling her story, and the way she does it is easy to relate to as she uses colloquial language. This helps listeners be on a more personal level. She successfully makes her argument by using personal experiences, facts, and references. Jennifer's story is inspiring, and we are called to be an advocate for pro life as members of the Catholic Church. We are called to continue our support for pro life through prayer and action. We have seen the steps we have taken in the past years, steps so large that pro choice activists are being frightened and feeling the pressure. It is our job to continue God's work in this world and save human life, as life begins at conception.
Gabe,
DeleteI agree with you when you say that her argument is so effective because of the fire it starts in you. Your blog shows how angry this made you and how it should and will effect others the same way once they know the truth. The only thing in your blog you did not address is her stance on the difference between a baby and a fetus. Otherwise, your blog pointed out her strategies of arguing pro life very well.
Gabe,
DeleteI love how passionate you were in your blog. It made your blog very interesting to read. I agree with Catherine that your blog would have benefitted if you had included an analysis of her views on the difference between a baby and a fetus. Your inclusion of capitalized statements and rhetorical questions only made your argument stronger. I also enjoyed your quotes from the NFL center.
Gabe,
DeleteYour blog was outstanding. I know how much the pro-life movement means to you and your family, and I'm glad you were finally able to share your feelings on this topic. I like how you inserted the anecdote about how Fulwiler caught herself saying "baby" instead of "fetus". It shows how "fetus" has become a dehumanizing term, and it also marks the point in which she started to come to her senses. In addition, your incorporation of Matt Birk's words at the March For Life countered the notion that babies are burdens. The only problem I could find is that he used to play for the Ravens:(. I understand Mrs. Messineo loves to see arguing on these blogs, but considering the topic and how much passion you wrote with, there was nothing for me to disagree with...
Gabe,
DeleteThroughout your blog you used great emphasis on how ridiculous some of the things that goes on with abortion. You used capital letters and restated yourself to show how awful some of the things are. I enjoyed how you did that. You did a great job when you discussed the comments made in regard to the Supreme Court Case and how gynecologists talked about easier ways to abort children to be less of an issue for women. Overall you did a great job and showed that you are serious when it comes to this matter because it is no joke. Human life is sacred and you did a great job defending that as a Christian.
Gabe,
DeleteI really enjoyed your blog. I enjoyed how you actually put your feelings into it too. It showed how faithful you are yourself about abortion being wrong. Good job.
Hello Gabriel (and the rest of fourth period), I have decided to make a special appearance on your blog site. Our blogs have many similarities and follow almost the same layout. If must be true then: great minds think a like. But seriously, you, like Fulwiler, take the arguments of abortion supporters and logically refut them. Those in favor of abortion tend to contradict themselves, but you did not!
DeleteIn her talk, Jennifer Fulweiler makes a case against abortion and contraceptives. Her method of defending the pro-life movement is by refuting the argument she used to believe in as a pro-choice supporter. This attack allowed her to establish her ethos in the matter. She starts her story by explaining what she went through, and how she grew up. As an atheist and growing up around pro-choice people, Jennifer conducted an argument for her pro abortion view. Her most prominent point was that abortion supports freedom, especially that of women. She believed that a women should not have to deal with the burden of an unplanned pregnancy, and that it was unfair to make them. To refute this, she uses an analogy of being struck by lightning. Being struck by lightning is unplanned and a freak accident, a pregnancy is not. The purpose of sex is to create life, and when this purpose is violated problems occur. Abortion can not be viewed as okay because there is no other choice, because there is always another choice, abstinence. Abstinence should be applied when the conditions for having a baby are not right. Sex is for life, not pleasure, and is not something that people are entitled to.
ReplyDeleteAnother point that Jennifer made as a pro-choice supporter was that a fetus and a baby are two different things, and that removing a fetus is okay, but killing a baby is not. Jennifer points out the flaw in this argument. When does a fetus become a baby? When struggling with this idea, she made up developmental milestones that determined when a fetus was human, all based on characteristics. In her head, a heartbeat was not a human characteristic, and neither was the ability to make a fist. Babies that were not past her milestones and were therefor still a fetus were old enough to be outside the womb in an intensive care unit. She points out that she would be appalled if someone were to kill these babies, but she was still okay with the same babies being killed in the womb. Older fetuses that were past her usual milestones of being "still a fetus" that still didn't have enough human characteristics because they were disabled were okay to abort. She states that if you believe this, you must also believe that disabled people in general are sub-human.
Jennifer Fulweiler ties this together by explaining that pro-choice ideas do not match up. If contraception is "control", then why is it so easy to become pregnant on it? If you want control, the Catholic teaching of abstinence is the only way. Pro- choice views on what is and is not a baby also do not match up. And finally, Pro-Choice supporters believe it is a freedom women must have over their bodies. Women have the freedom to become pregnant or not, but they do not have the freedom to end another's life. When refuting these main arguments Jennifer effectively provides an argument for pro life, which as her husband said, is "pro other people's lives."
Catherine,
DeleteYou did a great job of condensing and categorizing Jennifer Fulwiler's argument. I think your blog would've been more effective if you would've mentioned a few more rhetorical devices and your stance on its effectiveness, but overall you did well.
Catherine,
DeleteI though your blog was very powerful. You did a great job explaining Fulwiler's argument without just summarizing. You made several great connections and explained each point very well. I also enjoyed the quotations you used from the podcast. They helped to tie your argument together.
Catherine,
DeleteYour blog is great. It explivied her views on abortion perfectly and it mader her argument very clear.
Part 1:
ReplyDeleteJennifer Fulwiler makes a strong argument opposing the views of pro-choice people. In her podcast, she points out the various ways in which believers of pro-choice are missing the mark altogether. Her argument is mainly structured to counter the views of the people with which she once associated herself; however she does so in a gentle way through the story of her journey from atheism to Catholicism.
Fulwiler's central argument is riddled with logos. She uses facts, statistic, quotes, events, and logical reasoning to breakdown the points of herself and others. The logic she uses is evidently the reason many people oppose Catholic beliefs because they think that Catholic beliefs could never submit to logical reasoning. They see Catholicism as religious "mumbo jumbo." However, in her argument, Fulwiler shows the fatal flaws in the logic of the pro-choice movement, and the reasoning behind Catholic beliefs. She states that Catholicism contains no contradictory or inconsistent statements, but pro-choice beliefs contain many. Her entire story is articulated through personal anecdotes which prove the authenticity of her argument. She begins with an anecdote describing her experience at The March for Life when she believed in pro-choice and contains within that anecdote, a series of anecdotes describing her path to pro- life. I believe her firm grasp of logical reasoning was the most appealing aspect of her piece to me. Instead of quoting scripture pieces that are over the heads of disbelievers, she focuses on an analytical explanation of the Catholic viewpoint. Fulwiler established her ethos by showing her association with both sides of the issue of abortion. She was once an atheist and believer of pro-choice, but later she converted to a Catholic and supporter of the pro- life movement. In her allusion to The Human Vitae and The Theology of the Body, she also contributed authority to her piece.
Fulwiler begins with an extensive background of her beliefs. She was a devout atheist and believer of pro-choice. She says that she struggled with understanding when a fetus in the womb becomes a human baby. She learned that fetuses are able to perform a variety of "human-like" actions. Just 18 days after conception, a fetus' heart begins to beat, but she determined that didn't make a fetus human. Later, she learned that 9 weeks into the pregnancy, a fetus can swallow and make a fist, but she determined that didn't make the fetus human. She continued to move her standard of when a fetus was human, but she was never quite able to grasp a definitive answer as to when it was "acceptable" for a baby to be aborted, "acceptable" to say that the baby was human.Ironically, she finds truth in the Catholic statement she once vehemently opposed, "Life begins at conception."
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteThroughout her speech, Jennifer Fulwiler focuses on the idea of "freedom" that the pro-choicers believe abortion provides. She mentions that she believed abortion left women who were trapped in an unwanted pregnancy with a way out. To exemplify how abortion hinders freedom, Fulwiler shares her story of contracting a dangerous condition in her second pregnancy which gave her severe blood clots. After her pregnancy, it was necessary for her to take a medicine called Coumadin which would not allow her to become pregnant, because it would create serious complications in her pregnancy. Therefore, Jennifer would have two options, use contraception, which is against Catholic beliefs, or abort a baby of she became pregnant, which is also against Catholic beliefs. Troubled by a that thought, she consulted the Internet and found
a woman on a message board named Linda who was concerned with how she could take Coumadin for her blood clots, avoid pregnancy, and still adhere to her Catholic beliefs against contraception. Her concerns were met by many Anti-Catholic responses suggesting she just use contraception. Later, Fulwiler found that Linda had taken those people's advice and became pregnant. Not only was the concept of contraception as "control" a lie because the contraception failed to control pregnancy, but she no longer had a "choice." She had to have an abortion. The story shifts the pathos of deep sadness she once felt towards women who were "trapped" with a pregnancy to women who were actually "trapped" into abortion. The juxtaposition of the two contrasting ideas created profound clarity.
Lastly, Fulwiler places the blame of abortion on contraception. Through contraception, we "dehumanize the enemy" and lose the point altogether. Through contraception, she states that we disassociate pleasure and sex with babies. She points out that she was not taught that sex could be avoided, but it was inevitable. She ends in making a profound connection by saying that without sacrifices, women will never be free. Freedom was supposedly the goal of pro-choice believers, but she turns that point around and connects it go pro- life.
Jennifer Fulwiler's piece was incredibly effective in my opinion. She broke down every counterargument logically and colloquially. After listening to her argument, there is no doubt in my mind that "pro-choice" can co-exist with abortion.
Jenna,
DeleteI think you did an amazing job summarizing Fulwiler's argument. The best part of your argument was how you included the Catholic statement, "Life begins at conception." By explaining how she found her answer in what she used to believe was stupid and unimportant really clarified the rest of your ideas.
For over 40 years, our nation has been plagued by the issues regarding abortion. Citizens across the country are forced to ask themselves if they are pro-life or pro-choice. In her argument, Jennifer Fulwiler explains the horrors that hind behind the euphemistic term "pro-choice." She notes several key points throughout her argument to fully explain the differences between the two sides.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of her presentation, Fulwiler informs her audience that she was raised an Atheist and refused to believe that there was a problem with abortion. As being apart of the pro-choice side of the argument, she always believed that freedom was the most important thing. She explained that abortion could never be wrong because we live in a free country, and if abortion becomes illegal that takes away a woman's right. Eventually, Fulwiler realized how horrifying the pro-choice movement was. She could no longer approve of the killing of babies or fetuses because she now understood that there was no difference between the two.
Along with her argument against abortion, Fulwiler's argument also discusses that sex is not for pleasure. She explains that the purpose of sex is to bring new life into the world. It is not our "right" to have sex for pleasure and destroy the life that is created from it. If a woman conceives a child it is still her duty to deliver that child, even if she is not able to have a child because of a certain situation, like prescription medicines. Fulwiler has a strong belief that it is possible to avoid sexual activity if you believe that abortion is the only option. She makes several points that sex is not an inalienable right endowed upon us. She wants her listeners to understand that sex must be taken seriously and respectfully so it is not just used for pleasure and enjoyment.
Fulwiler provides many examples of pathos throughout her argument. She provided first hand stories relating to her transition from pro-choice to pro-life. She recalled her story of passing by a woman on the pro-choice side of the argument during the March for Life. By retelling this simple story she makes a deep, emotional connection with her audience. She adds logos to her argument by sharing her research on both sides of the debate. She dedicated her time to attempting to fully understand the difference between life and what was referred to as "freedom." She also includes ethos into her argument by explaining what the mainstream Atheist belief was. By fully explaining her experiences as an Atheist and how she transitioned into a Catholic created her authority on the subject of abortion. She uses all three appeals to her benefit to provide a successful argument. She is able to debunk several theories and "urban legends" regarding both sides of life and choice.
Haliee:
DeleteI liked what you had to say. You did a pretty good job summarizing the podcast. I always like when people summarize what they heard/read becuase it is often different than what I might have gotten out of it. Your paragraph about sex being for life could be argued by people who are pro life and not Catholic, but I understand what you are saying. You defended your statements on her rhetorical strategies and did that nicely. Good blog.
Hailee,
DeleteI was impressed by your interpretation of pro-choice, as you called it a euphemistic term. You thoroughly noted the appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos contained within the argument, however I would have liked to see you identify another rhetorical device or two. Overall, your blog was concise, and I was surprised you did not have more to say.
"All human life is sacred- all men must recognize that fact. From its very inception it reveals the creating hand of God. Those who violate his laws not only offend the divine majesty and degrade themselves and humanity, they also sap the vitality of the political community of which they are members." This quote from Pope Saint John XXIII was spoken in the Humanae Vitae in regards to the preciousness of human life. Jennifer Fulwiler learned the sacredness of human life through her journey from pro-choice to pro-life. Along with opposing the idea of not having abortion, she was a life long atheist. Growing up all she knew about faith was that she resented it, especially the Catholic Church. This is what makes her journey to Catholicism so unique and special.
ReplyDeleteShe begins her story by taking her listeners back to a March For Life in which she had attended by using strong imagery. She talks about a girl with "a cute pixie hair cut and pretty blue eyes." Jennifer uses pathos when she talks about her and this girl who met eyes as they were walking through the streets with their group of people. Although, it was more than just meeting eyes. This girl gave her a look, a look that Jennifer cannot get out of her head. A look that displayed a simple but powerful message. How could you? How could you be one of them? How could you betray all us women? This is where Jennifer's journey from pro-choice to pro-life began.
A year after Jennifer's marriage, for the first time in her life she doubted atheism. She realized that advice her father once gave her applied to this very situation. Her father said "don't believe something is true just because I say it is, examine your beliefs and follow out truths to the conclusion. She realized all she had done was fallen into the normal routine of an atheist and had never looked back, that is until now. She realized she wanted a fresh start in search of this truth. As she began reading about the Catholic Church and all its teachings, she admired how Catholic Churches do not contradict one another. She said that "the Catholic Church knew her better than she knew herself", and I really admired this sentence. Although she came to realize that she disagreed on two things, abortion and contraception. She thought to herself that it was ridiculous they opposed this so sharply and critically. She wondered how the Catholic Church and its teachings could be so wrong when it came to this. She had always thought that when a abortion occurred, they were not taking human life but just the fetus. She had always thought that it was ridiculous when Christians would say "human life begins with conception." She was so stuck on being pro-choice, she never stopped to actually examine her belief toward the issue.
Her husband had researched court cases to see what the Supreme Court was doing about this. He had come across a case called Stenberg vs. Carhart and was disgusted by the way they were taking lives of infants in gruesome ways. Despite her husbands advice not to research the topic, she did and found awful results. They were taking lives in terrible and inhumane ways.
The basis of Fulwiler's argument lies within society. Society spills out lies and pro choice members get caught up in them. They do not realize anythjng beyond pro-choice because they are so stuck in their beliefs.
Continued...
ReplyDeleteAnother sickening aspect of this court case was gynecologists commenting on the issue. Jennifer thought for sure they would respond to the gruesomeness of this and respond with views of pro-life. Instead she got the exact opposite. Comments of how to make decapitated heads less of an issue for women. They made it sound like they were not concentrating what so ever on the child, but completely on the women. They made the child an object, a useful object.
Jennifer's story has truly opened up my eyes, and I was very into this subject. It makes me feel how blessed I am to be in a community and school full of pro-life people. As Christians, we are called to protect the lives of all humans, no matter what. All human life is sacred, and there is excuse to say other wise
Jennifer Fulwiler central argument is that the pro choice movement is ultimately contradicting and dehumanizing, but it is much deeper than that. She established her ethos by talking about her history and experience with religions and the controversial topic of abortions. She states that she grown up as an atheist and a firm believer of pro choice movement, and she supported this until shortly after getting married. At that time she searched for the truth of spirituality, and to her surprise she discovered Catholicism. She discovered a great wealth of knowledge and her and her husband converted, but she was still confused about the churches view of sex. She still could not change her view on abortion and contraception, until she read a Supreme Court case that dealt with abortion safety and the highest achieved doctors talked about different ways to preform an abortion on babies that could live in the hospital, so the doctors do not have to deal with the heads. This completely changed her view and made her pro life. She later in love after the birth of her second child she had a rare blood clot that had horrible side effects for a baby if she got pregnant. She then establishes her pathos by the antidote about Linda. She was doing research about her condition, and she found a story of a Catholic who was also taking this drug. She was asking people for help with what to do. They were all pro choice people and they told her to just use contraception and everything will be fine. Then, shortly after her first comment on the Internet she again posted and was very distressed because she got pregnant, even using contraception. The pro choice people told her you need an abortion now. This is terrible and it shows that we claim to have control of our bodies but we do not. She later establishes her logos by the what sex entails. It is very simple, we as Americas are trying to use sex for pleasure, without the central reason, reproduction. Then she claims that every society says that you have to meet certain requirements before you can have children, and if you do not meet them they you should not have sex and chance getting children. We as Americans do not follow this basic rule and because of it be make it seem as if children in the womb are not human. We use this to justify abortion.
ReplyDeleteMitchell,
DeleteYour correct about Americans making it seem as though children in the womb ar not actually children. But they are. From the moment of conceiving the baby, it is alive and human. Americans and everyone else in the world need to change their views on this. Good blog!
Well, I'm not going to lie. I really did not want to listen to an hour long podcast on abortion, but I did and it was actually extremely interesting. It was about Jennifer Fulwiler and her stance on abortion and the Pro Choice / Pro Life movement. She grew up in an area where everyone was Pro Choice, which means that they support abortion. She also grew up as an Atheist, from the time she was in kindergarten, she was an atheist. Children in her area were taught that unprotected sex brings pregnancy, but sex in general does. They were under the impression that they would just have an abortion if their contraception methods were unsuccessful. And if these girls were unable to abort their baby, they would simply commit suicide.
ReplyDeleteBeing an atheist and a Pro Choice supporter, Jennifer never opened up her perspective. She would be told the truth time and time again, but she would just make excuses. Such as, after eighteen days, the fetus has a heartbeat. She would say, well just because it has a heartbeat doesn't mean it is a baby. For a long time, Fulwiler had a one track mind. She was set in her ways and had no intention on changing her views.
This all changed after she married a Baptist, who called himself a Christian but never really practiced his religion. After about a year of marriage, the two decided that they wanted to be a part of something. They wanted to be a part of a religion. So they decided they would start fresh and research different religions. They only knew one thing for sure: they would not become Catholics. Both were greatly against Catholicism. After much research, both came to a different conclusion: Catholicism was the right way. The only way. So they kept researching the Catholic religion, to gain an understanding, to make sure that was there new calling. They saw that the Catholic Church had so much knowledge, it had more knowledge about themselves then they had about themselves. Everything in the Church agreed with itself, nothing contradicted itself. It all made sense. Until they came to the part about abortion.
The Catholic Church is Pro Life. Completely against abortion, and not only abortion, but against all methods of contraception as well. Jennifer and her husband thought that this was insane and unheard of. But as they were devoted to finding their new religion, they researched Catholicism and Abortion more. They cam across a court case that these very highly regarded professionals were deciding how they could make a it easier to extract a decapitated baby head from the mother. This is when Jennifer Fulwiler changed her views.
Fulwiler and her husband became Catholics. And she also decided that she was not Pro Choice. But she found it hard to come out and say that she was Pro Life.
After a pregnancy of her own, Jennifer Fulwiler contracted a blood clotting disorder. This disorder required a prescription drug, Cumadin, which made pregnancies extremely dangerous. Birth defects and death of the baby are highly likely while on this prescription drug. The doctors told her she had to use contraception so that she did not become pregnant. But being a newly devoted Catholic and Pro Life enthusiast, she decide to just use Natural Family Planning. This decision makes the doctors cringe every time she steps foot into their offices.
Jennifer Fulwiler is an extraordinary example of how people can change. She is also an inspiration for many, Including Atheists, Catholics, and everyone involved in the Abortion campaigns. I feel that her story should help other Pro Choice people to change their minds become Pro Life. It helps to have a person that has had both perspectives. To have a person that was Pro Choice and was Atheist and through great research and prayer decided to turn towards God and become Catholic and Pro Life.
P.S.- Mrs. Messineo, I "dove in"😄.
Troy,
DeleteYou did a great blog. It summarized it very well and it have a great insite to her views, but you didn't talk about her augment. I was still a good blog though.
To be honest this podcast was probably the best thing that I have ever heard. In the beginning Jennifer Fulwiler talks about how she went to this March For Life and she say this girl and the look that girl gave her she could never get out of her head. The girl gave her a looking pretty much saying how could you not support the freedom of women. Jennifer was an atheist her whole life since she was little. She always believed that women had the right to freedom, freedom to choose whether to have an abortion or not. She put in her head that during pregnancy that the fetus inside the womb was not a baby. Just because it had a heartbeat did not make it a baby, just because it could swallow or make a fist didn't make it a baby. It was just a fetus to her. People always say to prochoice supporters "how could you kill a baby?", they always would think we would never kill a baby because they didn't believe it was a baby inside the womb. Prochoice people believed that if a pregnancy was unplanned the women had the choice of having an abortion. I could not at all understand why Jennifer took so long to realize that abortion isn't right.
ReplyDeleteJennifer and her husband started doing research and the first place it all started was the catholic church. They started looking to see if Jesus could truly be real. They found that everything was the same in all the catholic churches. Jennifer changed and believed that it is a baby in a womb not just a fetus. Her husband researched and found the court case of Stenberg v. Carhart and he told her not to look at it, but she did and she said it is something she could never forget. She couldn't believe what people would do. People aborted babies that were able to be in the intensive care unit and be taken care of and survive. This is just horrible and Jennifer finally realizes that the women are being fed lies about everything.
Jennifer talks about how girls are being told that the baby is the enemy pretty much and if there is an unplanned pregnancy that they should just get rid of the problem. In my opinion I do not believe there is such thing as an unplanned pregnancy. The two people that decide to have sex should know that sex something God created so a women could give birth to a beautiful creation. Girls get the idea that sex is just for pleasure and they should be able to have it whenever they want without getting pregnant. Then when they "accidently" get pregnant then people start telling the girl that she ruined her life and if she has the baby she isn't going to be able to support it or anything. Through out Jennifer's podcast she made so many good points and she really made an impact on my feelings too. Children are a gift from God, they are not the enemy. We have the choice to abstain from sex if we are not in place were we could take care of a child.