Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Michael John
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Well-known political pundit Ben Shapiro recently hosted a lecture at the
University of Alabama talking about the controversial topic of abortion. His lecture was entitled
“Hands Off Their Bodies: The Case Against Abortion.” The main goal for Shapiro, while giving
this lecture, was to express his views on abortion, and to ultimately enlighten the audience about
the moral aspect of abortion through his own values and opinions. Shapiro, a conservative
Republican, explained to the audience how he is against abortion and expanded on his ideas
about the topic through a list of common arguments. The lecture was held by the Young
and was mostly attended by students of the University of Alabama, but had limited seating, so it
Ben Shapiro told students that he sees no difference between having an abortion and
taking the life of an innocent person. “If a fertilized human egg was found on Mars, NASA
would be quick to exclaim that human life was found on Mars, so why would that be any
different on Earth,” he asked. He continued, “The moment that an egg becomes fertilized it is a
human life and should have basic human rights.” Shapiro carried on with comments and
arguments like these throughout the lecture, usually receiving a round of applause from the
audience.
After his lecture, Shapiro hosted a questions and answers segment, where students were
able to ask questions on topics other than abortion or debate him on particular things that he said
during his lecture. Most students got up to the microphone to congratulate him on his work and
tell him how big of a fan they were, while others used this opportunity to express their
received a standing ovation from the crowd and walked off the stage with a round of applause.
The students of The University of Alabama seemed extremely excited that Ben Shapiro
was able to speak at their school. Joseph Ballard, the chapter chairman of the University of
Alabama Young America’s Foundation chapter, said, “We were extremely lucky and happy to be
able to host Ben Shapiro’s lecture at our school.” Audience member, Adeline Lancellotta, said,
“I’ve been a huge fan of Ben Shapiro for years now. I hold a lot of the same views as him, and it
was amazing to see him talk in person.” Even some students who disagreed completely with
Ben Shapiro on politics were pleased to see him speak. Audience member, Ben Goldberg,
explained, “I am very much a Democrat. I don’t agree with him at all, but I do have to admit that
Ben Shapiro is the editor-in-chief at The Daily Wire, an American conservative news and
opinion website, and he is also the host of the Ben Shapiro Show, a daily conservative news talk
show. Shapiro quickly rose to fame when he started appearing on FOX News and CNN to give
his opinions on current events. His popularity grew due to his abrupt nature when on these
programs. Through the Young America’s Foundation, Shapiro travels to hold lectures like this