Gregory Koukl

      Whenever you hear someone say, “I am personally against abortion, but I don’t think you should pass any laws against it,” one question should immediately be on your lips:  “Tell me, why are you personally against abortion?”  What you’ll almost always hear is, “I’m personally against abortion because I think it kills an innocent human being, but that’s my personal belief.  I don’t think I should force this belief on others.” 

      Follow up with this comment:  “Let me see if I understand you correctly.  You actually believe that abortion takes the life of an innocent human child, but mothers should still be allowed to do that to their own children.”  Then pause and let the logic of his comment sink in.

      When I asked this question of one person he quickly responded, “Well, when you put it that way...” 

      I said, “Put it what way?  That’s your view, unless I’ve misunderstood you.  Please correct me if I have.  As I understand it, that’s precisely what you believe. 

            This isn’t a trick.  It’s not clever ‘spin.’  I merely repeated what he’d just told me.  That was his view.  It just didn’t sound so good coming back at him.

©1999 Gregory Koukl. Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use only.
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