Voters decided to prohibit all abortions during an emotional debate sponsored by the Arkansas Union society last week.

More than 150 students, faculty and citizens listened to a panel of six debaters from both sides of the abortion issue. The discussion was a non-binding parliamentary style debate designed to promote public discussion of issues.

The debaters included special guests Mary Beth Tinnesz, a board member of the Right to Life movement, and Bill F. Harrison, a local obstetrician and gynecologist and author of numerous writings on the issue of abortion.

Tinnesz called abortion a "perversion of force."

She said laws were originally created to defend people from the use of force against them. Abortion is a case of the stronger preying on the weaker, she said.

"I believe that the right to induced abortion on demand should be prohibited in these United States because it is an unlawful use of force and is used to murder an entire class of people," Tinnesz said.

Tinnesz also said the myth of overpopulation was a large factor in the legality of abortion.

"The root of almost all abortion, infanticide and euthanasia laws stem from the mandate of globalist leaders to control human population," Tinnesz said. "Some of them have a sinister agenda that was once secret but now is made plain to those who care to look.

"Abortion in America has killed over 35 million people illegally. Hitler only killed 6 million."

Harrison, who said he had performed 7,000 to 8,000 abortions in his career, warned of dangers of making abortions illegal. He said in the rest of the world, 10,000 women a year die from illegal abortions. He also said he had personally seen a great number of women who became sterile or suffered major injuries from illegal abortions before the Roe vs. Wade decision.

Harrison told a story of one woman, who when told she was pregnant, started crying and said, "I was hoping it was cancer."

Harrison said the majority of Americans think there should be exceptions for rape, incest or to save the mother's life if abortions were banned.

"Who decides what threats to life are enough? Should an 11- or nine-year-old girl be forced to carry a baby?" Harrison asked.

Maggie Peterson, the prime minister on the pro-life side, said although the proposition was to eliminate all abortions, the mother's life always took precedence.

Peterson said just because fetuses don't have capacity for reason or choice was no reason they should be allowed to be killed.

"If you believe that argument, people with dementia and Alzheimer's patients should be killed as well," Peterson said.

Peterson said 93 percent of abortions are done for convenience and less than 1 percent were because of rape.

Peterson also said an advertising agency created the term "pro-choice" because no one would claim to be pro-abortion.

"What person would say they were anti-choice?" she asked.

"There are two victims in abortion: one's wounded, the other's dead," Peterson said.

"We don't disagree that a fetus is alive, but, if we make abortions illegal, we will simply make them dangerous," said Kit Clark, leader of the opposition.

If abortions are made illegal, women will continue to get them, Clark said.

The back-alley abortions would be done with non-sterile equipment, improper anesthetics and unqualified people, he said.

Improperly carried-out abortions are the leading cause of maternal death in places where abortion is illegal, Clark said.

Women have the right to not allow the government to intervene, he said.

Jackie Zihala, another debater for the anti-abortion side, said fetuses can feel pain at six weeks. Zihala described an abortion and said the fetus pulls away and the heart rate increases, indicating pain.

Zihala also said abortion had been linked to breast cancer. She said, according to one study, women under 30 who have had one or more abortions are two to four times more likely to get breast cancer.

Zihala also said companies are trafficking baby body-parts for profit.

Jenny Robilio, member of the opposition, said the right to have an abortion was a right to privacy issue.

She said the government would be forcing its views on women by forcing mandatory child bearing if the Roe vs. Wade decision was overturned.

"Tolerate people who don't share your viewpoints," Robilio said.

The forum was also opened to comments from audience members.

Mark McDonald, of the Washington County Right to Life group and author of "Gatekeeper of the Damned," said abortionists were "birthing babies for spare parts."

Steve Fox said there should be more emphasis on compromise and sex education. Wade Ryan said he was the product of an abortion that didn't happen and was adopted instead.

"Can you make the decision when life begins?" Ryan asked.

A young woman who only identified herself as Kelly said nobody but the person involved should be able to make the choice of whether to have an abortion.

The final vote was 78 for and 44 against the proposition to abolish all abortions.