In a very convincing debate Ben Shapiro had with a student challenging him on abortion, he absolutely kills his argument, and does it politely, and quickly.
Watch below:
Live Action had a good transcript:
When Shapiro asked the student if adult life has “intrinsic value,” the student replied that “sentience” is what gives life moral value, not the fact of “being human alone.”…
“So when you’re asleep, can I stab you?” Shapiro asked.
“I’m still considered sentient when I’m asleep,” the student answered, uncertainly.
“OK, if you are in a coma from which you may awake, can I stab you?” Shapiro retorted.
The student said “no,” adding that a person in a coma still has “potential sentience.”
Shapiro then pounced.
“I agree it is potential sentience. And you know what else is potential sentience? Being a fetus!”
BOOM!! And that’s how you actually move the ball forward, instead of just using insults or protesting. We need to be persuasive and polite even when our opponent isn’t… [though in this case, he was].