IndexIntroductionViolent Approaches to Combating AbortionConclusionIntroduction The topic of abortion is rarely broached without arousing impassioned discussion and conflicting emotions. On the one hand, pro-choice groups support women's right to manage their own bodies. In stark contrast, pro-lifers condemn abortion as murder, especially religiously affiliated pro-lifers. Pro-life religious individuals believe that God commands people not to kill. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay This means, in their eyes, that abortion is a grave sin. While such a strong aversion to sin is understandable, there is a problem: pro-lifers may gravitate towards the worst cases of abortion as evidence to support their position. By presenting the dramatic flaws of abortion, pro-lifers increase conflict rather than diminish it. Some may not even realize what they are doing. In this time of ethical turmoil, an evangelical magazine steps forward to bring attention to an important concept. Violent Approaches to Fighting Abortion Christianity Today's editorial, "An Everyday Scandal," uses strong diction, evidence, imagery, and identification with religious beliefs to show pro-life evangelical Christians why to treat others with love and respect is more important to the fight for life than relying on shocking reports of abortions gone wrong. The first paragraph of the editorial introduces abortion in a negative light through strong diction. Phrases including “forever lurking beneath the currents of American life,” “sometimes roars to the surface,” and “sleeping giant” press upon the reader with an unsettling sense of foreboding (168). These words form an analogy likening abortion to a monster that waits, just out of sight, until it can rear its ugly head and cause chaos. Abortion, like many modern issues, tends to float around the news headlines for short periods of time before falling into silence – for the moment, at least. One explosive headline is all it takes for abortion to take center stage. conflict once again. Like a catastrophic creature, it calmly awaits the next opportunity to provoke heated debates on human rights. The editorial includes this choice of words to show how negativity truly is destructive to the fight against abortion. Both pro-life and pro-choice fronts become increasingly bitter and defensive in any extreme case, resulting in greater reluctance to compromise. Christianity Today aims to convey the monstrous qualities of abortion from the very beginning of the editorial in a way that foreshadows the harm of sacrificing respect and love for aggression. Strong diction also comes into play at the end of the editorial. The last paragraph limits itself to a frank reminder of the sinful aspects of abortion. She then describes an abortionist's tools as “immaculate or tainted [a] handled with surgical delicacy or barbaric cruelty” (170). Christianity Today shows both ends of the abortion spectrum through this use of fiery language. The community of evangelical Christians reading this editorial are most likely aware that abortion can range from being a first-rate procedure to a sequence of gory and possibly fatal events. Comparing the tools of abortionists around the world serves to persuade evangelicals that no matter how much care is taken to properly abort (or lack thereof), abortion still destroys God's creations and should, therefore, not be tolerated. Also, the comparisonreminds readers that there are two sides to abortion, but evangelicals shouldn't focus only on the worst of them. About halfway through the editorial, the authors engage in the use of evidence to show Christianity Today readers the types of facts that pro-lifers can use to attack abortion. The first example deals with the sinister affairs of Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortionist, whose “clinic reeked of cat urine […] was staffed by unlicensed apprentices, splattered with bloodstains, and cluttered with unsterilized instruments and a supply of parts of the fetal body” (168). to their readers this morbid evidence to assert that abortionists like Kermit Gosnell are a very real part of the barbaric characteristics of abortion. The description of bloodstains, fetal body parts, and the stench of cat urine repulses the senses in a way that the writers want readers to remember. This incorporation of disturbing facts provides evangelicals with an example of the revolting scenarios they should avoid as the foundation of their anti-abortion argument. The editorial provides further evidence when it talks about a pro-life organization called Live Action. Live Action seeks to undermine abortion by secretly filming abortion clinic workers, thereby exposing various inappropriate behaviors. In the videos, a Live Action associate can be seen posing as the owner of a “child prostitution ring” – a twisted business that makes extensive use of abortions and treatments for health problems and needs related to prostitution (169). This real-life example of abortion being used for the wrong purposes is included by Christianity Today to fuel the disgust already aroused in its readers. This resentment is evidence of the extreme negativity it adds to the abortion debate. Writers want their audience to feel it for themselves as they read. The evidence of exploring the dark side of abortion tells evangelicals that inflicting wounds on the pro-choice side of abortion will make the pro-life side seem unethical and deceitful. Christianity Today then identifies with its readers by making religious statements about how Christians view abortion in accordance with their beliefs. Because the world supports abortion rights so passionately, people, such as Christians, who oppose these pro-choice views often come under heavy criticism. In these moments of frustration, the editorial explains, “we must continue to contemplate […] the most central theme of love: how our words and actions reflect love for our neighbors, born and unborn” (169 ). It is part of the Christian faith to turn the other cheek, even if a situation may be truly unbearable. The editorial thus creates a common thread with its audience of supporters of the protection of innocent life. He acknowledges a shared feeling of helplessness with the public as he persuades evangelicals to follow their religion by spreading love among all people, regardless of what their stance on abortion is. The editorial shows evangelicals that they are not alone. The editorial further identifies with anti-abortion Christians by discussing a core belief of Christianity. After speaking about the impossibility of stopping abortion once and for all, the editorial states that "no one regrets his evil without a remorse in his conscience" (169). This Christian belief supports the public's motivations to combat the sin of abortion. “Conscience-stricken” is any example of abortion that destroys people's lives. The previously mentioned Kermit Gosnell clinic cases and Live Action's investigation into child prostitution are strong examples used by Christianity Today to remind its evangelical readers that while the sense..
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