One would be hard-pressed to find a topic in the political arena that divides the masses more so than the topic of abortion. The mentioning of that word is all it takes to setup a political boxing match. One corner consists of those that identify themselves as "Pro-Life." The other corner consists of those that identify themselves as "Pro-Choice." The heart of this debate is over the following:
- The unborn is human and deserves the same rights as the rest of us. - Pro-Life stance
- The unborn is not human and it is the woman's right to choose what to do with her body. - Pro-Choice stance
Both these are legitimate stances and well worth having a discussion about, but on January 22, 1973 fuel was added to the fire by the United States Supreme Court. That date marked the entrance of the United States Government into the issue of abortion. The historic case, Roe v. Wade, ended with the ruling that a woman has a right to choose, thus legalizing abortion. However, something else it legalized was the alleviation of personal responsibility.
Congressman, and 2012 Presidential hopeful, Ron Paul said the following about abortion:
"Abortion is rarely a long-term answer. A woman who has had one abortion is more likely to have another. It's an easier solution than a change in long-developed personal behavior."
Whether or not the unborn child is human or not is something to be left for the "Pro-Life" side and the "Pro-Choice" side to debate, but all of us should be able to see that an abortion is also the rejection of personal responsibility.
Many people that feel otherwise will often say things like:
- What if the cause of the pregnancy was from rape or incest?
There are numerous responses that could be given to that question, but one thing that needs to be acknowledged is that rape and incest account for less than one percent of all reported abortions. Those that use that argument would like you to believe that it is the most common reason for a woman having an abortion. Actually, the most common reason given for having an abortion is because the child is "unwanted" or "inconvenient." That reasoning accounts for ninety-three percent of all reported abortions. In other words, ninety-three percent of abortions stem from the rejection of personal responsibility.
Some may say that having an abortion is showing personal responsibility. With that kind of logic one could say that not paying a credit card bill because they can't afford it is a display of it as well. Accepting consequences for your actions is a display of personal responsibility. Pregnancy is a potential consequence of sexual intercourse. Abortion is not. Having an abortion and not paying a credit card bill are not consequences caused by preceding actions, they are simply choices made by the person in order to avoid dealing with the consequences of previously taken actions.
The debate over abortion has no end in sight. Whether or not the unborn is human or not will continue to be fought over by the "Pro-Life" and "Pro-Choice" groups. Accepting personal responsibility for actions taken will not end this debate or abortion, but it could certainly help eliminate much of both. Ninety-three percent to be exact.
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