Max the Militant Moderate
Pro-life or just anti-abortion
Max Blaska
Issue date: 3/10/10 Section: Opinion
Abortion is one of the most volatile issues our country faces today. I don't think anyone actually likes abortion. I believe most people would agree that, in a perfect world, there would be no need for abortion; the problem is we don't live in a perfect world.
My personal opinion on the matter is that life does begin at conception. There are currently 1.3 million abortions each year, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. Those are 1.3 million lives that I believe are being snuffed out without a chance to live, and I believe that is morally wrong.
But, on the other hand, you have to be empathetic to the circumstances surrounding abortion; you have to understand the poverty in the communities where abortions are more common.
Again, according to the Guttmacher Institute, "The abortion rate among women living below the federal poverty level ($9,570 for a single woman with no children) is more than four times that of women living above 300% of the poverty level (44 vs. 10 abortions per 1,000 women). "
I also understand what might happen if Roe vs. Wade is overturned. Sometimes I think the threat of back alley abortions is overblown, but it is still a threat. One death that could be prevented is one death too many.
Society must have empathy for victims of rape and the parents-to-be who learn that their baby has a defect that might result in excruciating pain followed by death a few days after birth. Politicians and pundits who have not been in these situations are in a hard place to cast judgment. That is why abortion is such a tricky issue. People on both sides try to make this a black and white issue, but it is an issue with painful shades of grey.
I do believe one of the best ways to lower the amount of abortions is to target poverty by increasing job availability and better social programs for the poor. Many conservative politicians, while staunchly anti-abortion, support fiscal policies that hurt poor families and make it harder for them to support their children and make them easy targets, I believe, for Planned Parenthood and the like.
My personal opinion on the matter is that life does begin at conception. There are currently 1.3 million abortions each year, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. Those are 1.3 million lives that I believe are being snuffed out without a chance to live, and I believe that is morally wrong.
But, on the other hand, you have to be empathetic to the circumstances surrounding abortion; you have to understand the poverty in the communities where abortions are more common.
Again, according to the Guttmacher Institute, "The abortion rate among women living below the federal poverty level ($9,570 for a single woman with no children) is more than four times that of women living above 300% of the poverty level (44 vs. 10 abortions per 1,000 women). "
I also understand what might happen if Roe vs. Wade is overturned. Sometimes I think the threat of back alley abortions is overblown, but it is still a threat. One death that could be prevented is one death too many.
Society must have empathy for victims of rape and the parents-to-be who learn that their baby has a defect that might result in excruciating pain followed by death a few days after birth. Politicians and pundits who have not been in these situations are in a hard place to cast judgment. That is why abortion is such a tricky issue. People on both sides try to make this a black and white issue, but it is an issue with painful shades of grey.
I do believe one of the best ways to lower the amount of abortions is to target poverty by increasing job availability and better social programs for the poor. Many conservative politicians, while staunchly anti-abortion, support fiscal policies that hurt poor families and make it harder for them to support their children and make them easy targets, I believe, for Planned Parenthood and the like.
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