Debating resources
Introduction to debating resources
Over a period of many years, experienced debaters have developed and refined time-tested tactics that greatly increase their chances for success before the general public. These "rules" - or debate tactics - have been proven over centuries by people who not only learn them, but eventually know them so well that they unconsciously incorporate them even in everyday discussions. The ability to speak and reason logically is not only invaluable to the pro-life movement, but is greatly beneficial to an individual's career and self-confidence as well.
A debater MUST know his topic! This vital point cannot be overemphasised! The best debater in the world won't impress anyone if he doesn't know his facts.
If an activist chooses to focus on one life issue, he should study it extensively - but every debater must consider himself to be a lifetime student in all of the life issues, since they are all intimately related.
No matter how narrow a person's interests are, he should become generally familiar with all of the life issues in at least enough depth to be able to answer the most basic questions on all of them. This is because any debate on the life issues, no matter how narrow its focus, will inevitably wander into related areas.
No matter what level a pro-lifer is debating on, he automatically has an insurmountable advantage over his anti-life opponent, because the anti-life position is basically indefensible. It is the pro-lifer's job to demonstrate indirectly how absurd and destructive the anti-life philosophy really is by showing how reasonable the pro-life position is. In order to maximise the chances of decisively winning a debate, the debater must plan and prepare for the confrontation just as he would for any other type of mission.
If he sufficiently practices and hones his debating skills, he will literally be guaranteed victory in each and every encounter with an opponent. 'The rules for debate preparation and for actual debate are described in detail in the following pages.
The Clarkson Academy in London
How to present the pro-life case and respond to objections - Daniel Rodger