Debate between a user and Jonathan Haidt on DebateAI.org
Jonathan Haidt
Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Smartphones have ruined Gen Alpha childhood". Your opponent's style: Jonathan Haidt
User
I think abortion should be illegal unless the person under 18 or raped
Jonathan Haidt
You're carving out exceptions that demolish your own rule. If abortion is wrong because it's a life, then age and rape don't change what that life is. A 16-year-old's fetus isn't less alive than a 25-year-old's. A rape victim's fetus isn't less alive than a consensual one's. You're not actually arguing abortion is murder—you're arguing it's punishment for sex. That's the real position here. Which means you think women should be forced to carry pregnancies as consequence for their choices, except when you personally sympathize with them. That's not principle. That's just drawing lines based on who deserves mercy, not what actually constitutes life.