by Ken King

Am I pro-life? I sure don’t know. I feel that abortions for any purpose, other than as a life saving measure for the mother or the termination of a pregnancy resulting from incest or rape, is wrong. I am in favor of the death penalty and an allowance for those with terminal illnesses and painful suffering to end that suffering. I guess I might not be pro-life, but I am positive that I am not pro-choice. Abortion should not be available for someone to readily and conveniently terminate a pregnancy as a form of birth control.

When does life begin? Is it once the egg is fertilized and starts growing into the embryo, is it when the birth occurs, or somewhere in between? My tendency is to believe that life starts prior to the actual birth about the time that the mother senses movement. This, to me, is the issue that Congress or the Supreme Court needs to define. By clarifying this aspect laws could be developed to define what is and what is not allowed. It is a dilemma when discussing this emotional problem.

My thinking on this entire subject has me pondering all sorts of scenarios. If life begins at conception, as some believe, then a miscarriage should be investigated to determine if a life was ended via criminal conduct or negligence. This could create numerous problems for law enforcement, our court system, and society as a whole. Would we have special requirements for women to register once they became pregnant in order to effectively protect the innocent or would it be left to an honor system? There are many problems that I can envision with determining that life begins at conception. Are we sure that this is the path that we want to take?

At the other end of the spectrum are the late term (partial birth) abortions or no controls whatsoever. Life beginning at birth has as many, if not more, problems for our society than the belief that life begins at conception. With the decline of moral values in this world we don’t want to provide a vehicle for those that don’t practice caution and responsibility to easily terminate the unwanted life. The promiscuity of our youngsters without regard to the consequences of their actions needs addressed.

Passing out condoms to middle and high school students, in my mind, sends a message that they should explore their sexuality. This is too early in their physical and emotional development for them to be thinking about reproductive activities. Most haven’t even begun to interact in society effectively and very few, if any, realize the impact an unwanted pregnancy will have on their young lives, so why do we entice them by providing them with know faulty protection? Should this be something that our schools participate in? I think not.

Today’s movies, news, games, and music are steaming with sex and the appearance that this is the only fun in our world. This, to me, amplifies the perception that it is accepted and expected of them. As parents we need to correct this and assure that our children act accordingly and are aware of the possible outcomes of their behavior. We need to take responsibility for this education back within our homes and to teach our children our values and not those that are depicted elsewhere. By doing this I think we can lessen the numbers of youngsters that find themselves in this precarious position. The lessons that we teach these kids will carry on into their adulthood and, with any luck, it will be passed on to future generations. If we take the proactive position of teaching values to our children this issue might just disappear. It’s wonderful to dream, isn’t it?