“What do you think about the fact that Manuel already has a child at 17?” This question is asked in a very harmless tone by my 11th graders at the end of the lesson – supplemented with an adventurous story about the girlfriend and the child in Peru, where Manuel has his roots. It’s all fictitious, of course, as the pupils like to put the teacher to the test and want to hear their opinion.
With my answer, “Sure, it’s not the best time, but I think it’s better to have the child than to abort it”, I immediately provoke a discussion. Unfortunately, just before the big break, there is hardly any time to adequately respond to all the arguments that are now pouring in on me – has no consciousness yet, case study of rape, underage girl, etc.
In fact, in all conversations with students aged 13-18, the three killer arguments for abortion always come up immediately: severe disability, “poor 13-year-old girl”, rape. And preferably a combination of these. In the above-mentioned case, the students are definitely interested in discussing the topic further and listening to my opinion in peace. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Depending on their age, there are situations in which an objective discussion is not even possible because the pupils become highly emotional and do not allow any objective argument or medical fact. You can often tell that the students are very entrenched in the “right to self-determination / right to abortion” mindset of the left-liberal mainstream and have never heard another, life-affirming point of view. And then there are also those students who just listen to everything in silence and don’t comment at all. Only those who advocate the possibility of ending life are usually loudly represented.
Far from claiming to be able to change any pupil’s opinion on the spot in a school lesson, there is still hope that by presenting the topic in a way that values life in all its facets and points out offers of help in the event of conflict, a small seed is sown that may bear fruit at some point and evoke a memory of our conversation. ✸
