The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade legalized abortion more than 31 years ago.
Now that same Roe, alias Norma McCorvey, is fighting to reopen the case in light of evidence that abortion may harm women.
But the heated political debate regarding abortion is not really about which side is correct. It concerns which issue a person prioritizes: the social rights of women or the social rights of unborn children.
One side argues for a woman’s right to choose, to reject the restrictions of a patriarchal society that forces her to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term.
And the other side argues on behalf of the unborn child, that once conceived, deserves the same human rights protection – the right to life – as any other person within the society that created it.
I, personally, am opposed to abortion. I think that the fetus is a person from the moment of conception and deserves to be treated with the same dignity as any other member of society. Of course, this is my opinion and to anyone else, it means nothing.
In fact, that very point underscores the fundamental flaw in the entire abortion spectacle.
It doesn’t matter on which side of the issue a person sits, because it isn’t possible to point to a sheet of facts or statistics to prove one side right or wrong.
It’s impossible disprove an ideology – point to flaws or find logical holes, perhaps – but it isn’t possible to confute someone’s values.
This uncompromising clash of ideologies is the worst platform for constructive debate.
The argument, whether fought in courtrooms, legislative sessions, or the parking lots of abortion clinics has done little more than ruin lives – both metaphorically and literally.
The question of abortion hasn’t been answered with the passage of time, and it likely won’t be answered soon.
But as long as we live in America, we have the right to argue our viewpoints.
Whether a person supports the right to life or the right to choose, we all have the right to an opinion.
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