Abortion—many cringe at the mere sound of this word. The debate over abortion has divided into two camps: pro-life and pro-choice. Whether people have chosen a stance or not, they can agree that the subject has become taboo.

This issue will be the focus of a talk by Bertha Alvarez Manninen, an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies at Arizona State University (ASU) on March 23. The SMSU Philosophy, History, and Feminist clubs will host this event in CH 201 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Students are scheduled to speak first between 3 and 4 p.m. Chad Conway, an SMSU double major in marketing and philosophy, will present a paper in which he argues for a pro-life approach. Sociology major Erin Reps will present a paper about philosophy in children’s literature.

According to her biography posted to ASU’s web site, Manninen received her Bachelor’s degree in both Philosophy and English Literature from Florida International University in 1999. In 2001, she earned her Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Mannien was awarded her Doctorate in Philosophy from Purdue University in 2006.  In her book, “Pro-Life, Pro-Choice Shared Values in The Abortion Debate,” Mannien argues for a pro-life perspective, but is also sympathetic to the pro-choice side of the debate.

In a blog titled, “The Complexities of Abortion. How Becoming a Mother Made Me a Better Thinker” posted to Psychology Today, Manninen states that, “As a young teenager and through a lot of my college career…I believed that women should not have a right to abort a fetus they created as a result of voluntary sexual intercourse.”

“After taking my undergraduate Bioethics class… my professor helped me to see that there are pretty solid pro-choice arguments—the most convincing for me being Judith Jarvis Thomson’s argument that no person is obligated to use their body to sustain the life of another person,” said Manninen. 

In the same blog, Manninen stated that she held this view throughout graduate school. But when she saw the image of her daughter on the ultrasound screen for the first time, she was compelled to once again question her stance on abortion. 

The event will be open to the public, and anyone with questions about abortion is encouraged to attend.