Ep 5. Pro-Choice/Pro-Life

For the second season of the groundbreaking show '30 Days', participants switch lifestyles with someone completely different for 30 days in order to gain a better understanding and experience of a different way of life. This episode centers around the controversial and polarizing issue of abortion, with two individuals with opposing views switching lives for 30 days to better understand the other's perspective.

The two participants in this episode are a staunch pro-life advocate, Brian, and a pro-choice activist, Erika. Brian is a devout Christian who believes that abortion is murder and that all life is sacred. He volunteers at his local church and is a member of the local Right to Life organization. Erika, on the other hand, is a feminist who believes that a woman's right to choose what she does with her body trumps all other considerations. She works at Planned Parenthood and is active in the local pro-choice movement.

The episode begins with Brian and Erika meeting and stating their initial opinions on the issue. They then switch lives, with Brian moving into Erika's apartment and taking on her daily routine while Erika moves into Brian's home and takes on his conservative lifestyle.

For Brian, his views are challenged almost immediately. He is surprised to learn that Erika doesn't simply advocate for abortion but is also involved in educating the public about contraception and prevention. Moreover, she explains to Brian that many women who undergo an abortion are not doing so lightly or without thought, but often with deep consideration and after consultation with their doctors, and that outlawing abortion would be disastrous for women and their families. Such revelations challenge Brian's preconceptions about the pro-choice movement and encourage him to make a closer examination of his own beliefs.

Erika, too, is challenged. She finds Brian's religious convictions and family values to be stifling. Furthermore, when Brian invites her to a pro-life rally, she is taken aback by the sheer amount of passion and fury in the crowd. However, as she converses with Brian and others at the rally, she begins to understand that many pro-life advocates are motivated not by hate but by a deep-seated belief that all life deserves respect, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Throughout the 30-day period, the two individuals continue to engage each other in conversation, debating the ethics of the issue of abortion, and the merits of their own side in the argument. They also engage in a range of activities outside their comfort zones, such as attending a pro-choice rally and visiting a crisis pregnancy center where they meet women who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term. All of these experiences help them to grow and deepen their understanding of the other's perspective.

At the end of the 30-day period, Brian and Erika meet again to discuss their experiences and new insights. While they continue to disagree on the essential question of the legality of abortion, they both express a newfound appreciation for the complexity and nuance of the issue. They both realize that the issue of abortion is far more complicated than any simple answer can provide, and that a diversity of viewpoints and life experiences is necessary in order to find any kind of solution.

In the final analysis, this episode of '30 Days' is a powerful reminder of the importance of dialogue, empathy, and mutual understanding in an increasingly polarized society. By giving participants the opportunity to truly experience life on the other side of the aisle, it encourages them to see the world from a different perspective and hopefully move towards a space of compromise and unity.