The issue of abortion is about more than pro-life and pro-choice, the “religious right” or the “godless left.” Abortion is about freedom in the most personal and sacred sense. It is about the freedom of a woman to decide what is right for her body and her life. If we are to allow our government to control in any way our personal decision to have children, we are subjecting ourselves to a nightmare of Orwellian proportions. Those who argue that choosing to have a child is as black and white as life or death are fooling themselves. After that decision is made, there is a human being that must be cared for. Will the government provide healthcare, education and daycare for all of these extra children? Will they restructure society so that single mothers are not living on the streets or in shelters with their hungry babies? Or will young men be made responsible for the children they help to create? Often, the reason young women end up in unwanted pregnancies is due to a lack of education, opportunities and resources. Perhaps if those who argue against abortion could put their energy into developing programs to teach safe sex, keep young people in school and make birth control available and affordable, the need for abortion would become insignificant. Reflection on ourselves as a society is much more difficult than pointing a finger at the other side, but it is time we discover that the real problem lies within our own institutions.

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