Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Man Wins Anti-Abortion Debate With One Pointed Question On Twitter

Man Wins Anti-Abortion Debate With One Pointed Question On Twitter

When it comes to abortion and women being told what to do with their own bodies, the argument has no compromise. The dialogue over abortion is perpetually heated, but with the current administration's futile attempts at repealing Obamacare - which would lead to a block in planned parenthood funding - the conversation got louder, especially on Twitter.


Giphy

But one person posed the perfect question meant to impair obstinate pro-lifers. Patrick Tomlinson is a comedian and sci-fi writer who aimed at those who believe women shouldn't have the right to choose. And he did it brilliantly on Twitter, igniting a viral thread.

Tomlinson was so frustrated when the House passed the 20-week abortion ban which is "flagrantly unconstitutional. It’s just a complete waste of time," he decided to pose the ultimate question that people would have a difficult time responding to.

He began with this sensible setup on Twitter.

&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indy100.com%2Farticle%2Fanti-abortion-argument-simple-question-patrick-tomlinson-8010616

He continues:

"It's a simple scenario with two outcomes. No one ever wants to pick one, because the correct answer destroys their argument. And there IS a correct answer, which is why the pro-life crowd hates the question."

"Here it is. You're in a fertility clinic. Why isn't important. The fire alarm goes off. You run for the exit. As you run down this hallway, you hear a child screaming from behind a door. You throw open the door and find a five-year-old child crying for help."

"They're in one corner of the room. In the other corner, you spot a frozen container labeled "1000 Viable Human Embryos." The smoke is rising. You start to choke. You know you can grab one or the other, but not both before you succumb to smoke inhalation and die, saving no one."

He offers three options, and this is where pro-lifers start to squirm.

Giphy

"They will never answer honestly," Tomlinson said. "Because we all instinctively understand the right answer is "A." A human child is worth more than a thousand embryos. Or ten thousand. Or a million. Because they are not the same, not morally, not ethically, not biologically."

According to him, this has been a question ten years in the making, and knows that "they" are reticent because they know that the right answer is the human child. "No one, anywhere, actually believes an embryo is equivalent to a child," he said.

He told Salon's Paul Rosenberg the genesis of his question coming up in casual conversation over the past decade.

"I came up with it because I was sick to death of the irresponsible and frankly dishonest framing of the whole debate. I am not, as Ben Shapiro called me, a "pro-abortion fanatic," which is complete nonsense. Nobody is pro-abortion. People are just pro-"Hey maybe since I don't have a vagina, I shouldn't really have a whole lot of say in what people do with theirs." The framing of the debate from people who want to call themselves pro-life -- I prefer anti-abortion, or anti-choice -- they frame it as “you’re killing babies” or “you’re killing children.” ​T​hat kind of language absolutely suffuses the whole argument that comes from their side. And it's completely false. It's completely dishonest, and it's intended only to emotionally manipulate the conversation."

Tomlinson's asked this question for the past ten years, and claims, he's never gotten a straight answer. For those perpetuating the argument about embryos being living human beings, replying with the decision to save the child would mean conceding. And they would never, ever do that.

Tomlinson, who does some standup on the side, has gotten quite the pushback from his tweetstorm, which is hardly surprising. His website suffered a DDOS attack, and he's received death threats. But he's not trembling. "If somebody wants to come to my door and take a swing at me, good luck! Pack a lunch. Bring some friends. It will be great! I will live stream the whole goddamn thing!"

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

H/T - indy100, salon

More from News

Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less
Simone Ashley; Brad Pitt in 'F1'
Arnold Jerocki/L'Oreal/Getty Images

'F1' Director Speaks Out After Fan Outrage Over 'Bridgerton' Star's Scenes Getting Cut From Film

Once the F1 Grand Prix bug bites you, it's hard to let the passion and drive for the sport go, and most fans are eager to consume any additional content, from interviews to documentaries to full-length films.

Coming later this month is F1, starring Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, who missed his shot at stardom in a near-fatal accident in the 1990s. Thirty years later, his former team is struggling to succeed and convince him to come back to the track, but this time, he has to learn that it's not something he can do alone.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style."
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Sabrina Carpenter claps back

Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album has caused quite a stir in people's espresso after she revealed the cover art in a post on X.

On June 11th, the American singer posted the image of herself on her hands and knees, wearing a black bodycon dress with a ribbon and black heels. Carpenter’s hand touches the knee of a mystery man wearing a black suit who is seen gripping a lock of the bombshell blonde’s hair.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons
Christopher Polk/Penske Media/Getty Images

'Modern Family' Star Comes Out As Bisexual Using Iconic Clip From The Show

When your breakout role was on something as iconic and nostalgic as Modern Family, of course you'd have to use a moment from the show when you have big news to share.

A favorite moment in the show took place when Mitch and Cam (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) were having dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant with their adopted daughter, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons), and their sister, Gloria (Sofía Vergara). In the scene, Vergara encourages Lily to try the Pho to connect with her family roots because "she's Vietnamese."

Keep ReadingShow less