Myra Vance
Formal Outline for Persuasive Speech
Kevin Miller, Professor
CO215 Public Speaking
Huntington University
11 November 2016
PREPARATION LIST
Topic: Abortion is morally wrong.
General Purpose: To persuade
Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience to think abortion is morally wrong.
Thesis: The act of abortion is morally wrong. [Statement of Value]
Type of Speech is: Refutation Pattern
INTRODUCTION
[Attention Getter]: On October 19, 2015 in North Carolina, Amanda had an abortion
something that she would never forget. Amanda cracked to the pressure of the boy who
she LIKED a lot, and gave into having sex with him. Amanda found out early that she
might have a miscarriage at least that that is what the Doctor told her, so she waited a
week when nothing happened, she went back to the doctors. Amanda was in college, an
athlete she was only 19 years old when this happened. Amanda at first was so against
abortion and wanted nothing to do with killing her baby. In the midst of feeling alone and
not having the support of her family, she planed her abortion. Amanda family, friends
and boyfriend were not supportive at all of her having the baby. Amanda assumed the
best way for the baby to have a life was for him not to come into the world. Amanda
decided to have an abortion, but she regretted it every since that day. The tears never
seem to stop she said, and everything makes her think about her baby and what life would
have been with the baby. [Illustration: Abort73] [Topic Orientation step]: Today we
are going to talk about why abortion is morally wrong. [Thesis]: The act of abortion is
morally wrong.
[Preview Step]: First we are going to discover why people think abortion is okay. Next
we are going to look at scripture, and then look at science to prove why abortion is
morally wrong. Lastly, we are going to look at the consequences of abortion.
BODY:
I. We are going to look at why people think abortion is okay.
1. According to Dawn Stacey, who has 15 plus years in counseling, some of the main
reasons women get abortions are:
A. Having a baby would dramatically change their life. [Fact: Dawn Stacey]
B. Mother’s can’t afford a baby life and it would put the mother in a financially
unstable situation. [Fact: Dawn Stacey]
C. Didn’t want to be a single mother, in most cases the father back out and the
family isn’t very supportive and insist on having an abortion. [Fact: Dawn
Stacey]
D. Having a child would interfere with my education, work and life. [Fact: Dawn
Stacey]
E. Not ready to have a child. [Fact: Dawn Stacey]
F. I don’t want people to know that I had sex or got pregnant. I was a victim to rape
incident. [Fact: Dawn Stacey]
Transition: Going off what Dawn Stacey reports about why women have
abortions and think it is okay, I would like to see what Scripture has to say
the issue. [Motivational Appeal: Compare and Contrast]
II. Here are a few examples of scripture.
A. In Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder” [Fact: Bible]
B. What do you consider murder? Do you think that having an abortion and
killing a child is an act of murder? [Rhetorical Question]
C. When you have an abortion you are killing a human life that inside the
mother’s women.
D. In Proverbs 6:16-17 “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are
detestable to him haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent
blood”. [Fact: Bible]
E. Psalm 139:13 “ For you formed my inward parts; you knitted together in my
mother’s womb [Fact: Bible] [Motivational Appeal: Tradition]
F. The word you in this verse are talking about God, and we can say that the
formation of life in the womb is not merely a mechanical process but is
something on analogy of weaving and knitting. [Fact: John Piper]
G. The life of the unborn is the knitting of God, and what he is knitting is a
human being in his own image, unlike any other creature in the universe.
[Fact: John Piper]
H. God hates the shedding of innocent Blood, and when God talks about this he
is talking about the innocent life people take when they have an abortion.
[Transition]: Many people believe that abortion is not killing someone
because they believe it is part of the woman. It is important to take time to
discover the different sides on the issue of abortion, and also give you a
chance to see both sides of people. Next we are going to look at when a
baby is considering a human being.
III. Now let’s take a glance at some scientists’ perspectives on abortion.
A. According to the studies of Patrick Lee who is a Christian Bioethics states “ I
hold that the basic facts reported by the standard embryology text are
sufficient to show that the human embryo is a distinct, individual human
being.” [Fact: Patrick Lee] [Rational Appeal: Reasoning through
credibility: Authority]
B. The organism is distinct from any cell of the mother or the father; in normal
reproduction it has it own genetic makeup distinct from that father or mother.
[Fact: Patrick Lee]
C. This new human embryo is a whole, making it a human being. [Fact: Patrick
Lee]
D. Based on this evidence, abortion is definitely the killing of a human being.
[Counter Argument]
[Transition]: After looking at scripture and science on the issue of
abortion, we now are going to look at my last point.
IV. Finally, we will now explore the consequences of abortion.
1. According to Life News Steven Ertelt says from his research that he did say that 85
percent of women that had abortions report negative mental health issues as a result.
2. According to the American Pregnancy Association they mention some of the
common side affects that women seem to experience after they have an abortion.
[Rational Appeal: Causal Reasoning: Snowballing]
A. Regret of their decision to get an Abortion. [Fact: American
Pregnancy Association]
B. They experience a lot of anger and guilt. [Fact: American Pregnancy
Association]
C. Many women seem to experience a lot of loneliness or isolation after
the abortion. [Fact: Emma Green]
D. Women seem to have more relationship issues, suicidal thoughts and
feeling. [Fact: Emma Green]
E. 42 percent of women experience major depression within the 4 years
after the abortion takes place. [Fact: American Pregnancy
Association]
CONCULSION:
In conclusion, we have evaluated the different sides of abortions, but now the
question I want to ask you is which side are you going take upon the issue? I have
explained that abortion is morally wrong, and I have proven it with science and the
authority of the Bible. I want you to consider also all the consequences to abortion that
proves it must be wrong and not morally okay.
Works Cited
"Emotional Side Effects After an Abortion." American Pregnancy Association. N.p., 25
Apr. 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.
Green, Emma. "Why Are Fewer American Women Getting Abortions?" The
Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 17 June 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.
Lee, Patrick. "A Christian Philosopher's View Of Recent Directions In The Abortion
Debate." Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies In Medical Morality 10.1
(2004): 7-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
NIV Bible. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Print.
Piper, John. "Ten Reasons Why It Is Wrong to Take the Life of Unborn
Children."
Desiring God. N.p., 07 Apr. 1989. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.
"Silent No More Awareness Campaign: A Prison of Shame." Silent No More
Awareness Campaign. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2015.
Stacey, Dawn. "Why Do Women Have Abortions? Common Reasons Women Choose
Abortion." About.com Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 05
Nov. 2015.