Why Vote for Life?

On November 6, 2012, every citizen in the United States is entitled to exercise their constitutional right to vote for the next US President, which is either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. Lately, this issue has been bothering me that many voters aren’t too well informed about the critical issues in this election. In addition, too many people jump into choosing either candidate without any valid reasoning supporting their claim. People have been telling me that want to just vote for Barack Obama, because Mitt Romney will turn this country downwards.  Lately, my fellow classmates, friends, and even family members have been attacking me for not supporting Barack Obama. I have my own explanation of why I am voting for Mitt Romney and all women should really think about this important issue the right to life issues, abortion, and contraception

On a personal standpoint, the right to life issues has always been an important issue to me. Throughout my four years in a Catholic high school, I became involved with the pro-life movement. I am an advocate for the preserving the life of an unborn child, because I believe the killing of a baby in the mother’s womb is a form of murder. As a result, I attended the March for Life rally in Washington DC every year. The March for Life usually lands on the anniversary, in which the Supreme Court legalized abortion on January 22, 1973. In addition, , we would visit abortion clinics, in order to try to convince women not to undergo the procedure.  Overall, we offered these women alternatives, such as giving up the baby for adoption. Moreover, we provided diapers and other supplies for these women. I learned from this experience about the social responsibility we have as citizens to be active in the community, especially fighting for the rights of the voiceless. We are all members of a nation, that upholds our equal rights no matter race or gender a person. In the end, all human life should be respected from conception until death.

Recently, in the news 13 New York public schools are handing out free morning after pills to girls as young as 14 years old without any parental consent. School nurses are handing out free contraceptions to promote the oversexual culture we live in today. By handing out free condoms and morning after pills, the younger generation believes it’s acceptable to freely have casual sex without understanding the consequences of an unwanted pregnancy. The popularity of pop cultural phenomenon shows, such as Jersey Shore, glamorizes casual sex without any commitment and it continuously degrades women into a sexual object for mere pleasure.  Unfortunately, teenagers watch these shows and associate these characters as “role models” and therefore duplicate their behavior of partying and sexual actions. No one really instills the consequences of these teenagers’s actions by giving out free contraceptions, which is an unwanted pregnancy. This is an outrage that girls as young as 14 are thinking its socially acceptable to engage in sexual activity at a very young age. Many of these teenage girls now understand that using the morning after pill is the “easy way” out an unwanted pregnancy, that is taken to solve the problem to avoid becoming poor at a young age by taking care of a newborn. Teenagers and young women see a baby as an inconvenience in their life. Unfortunately, young high school girls and women alike will choose their only alternative to terminating an unwanted pregnancy, which is to undergo an abortion, without regarding the dangerous consequences of the serious side effects after an abortion.

 Suicide rates and psychological problems is an alarming problem women face after an abortion. The facts and statistics state that: “teenage girls are ten times more likely to attempt suicide than adults who abort”, “65% experienced multiple symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among women who abort”, and “teens risk further injury or death because they are unlikely to inform parents of any physical complications.( Patterson)” According to the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, “52% of young women under the age of 25” and “20% of teenagers” all accounted for abortions. Consequently, there is evidence also a high percentage of Hispanic and African American young women, who undergo an abortion. The locations of these schools in New York City are located in prominent Hispanic and African American neighborhoods. When does society draw a line from socially accepting casual sex and abortion amongst young women and teenagers without any moral implications of murdering a viable living unborn baby inside of the mother’s womb? In the end, these women are psychologically and emotionally scarred for life due to the feelings of regret and grief after an abortion.

In addition, the new healthcare mandate in “Obama Care” requires that all hospitals, including Catholic Hospitals, must provide patients with access to abortion procedures, sterilization, and contraception. This mandate denounces a religious organization’s beliefs and goes against the Constitutional rights to religious freedoms. Instead, any hospital, who denies these services, will be forced to shut down. With that being said, President Barack Obama is considered a pro choice extremist and there is evidence that he allows infantcide. For example, as a senator for Illinois, President Obama voted against the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act three times, which “required doctors to provide medical care to these infants, while Obama wanted to leave it up to the discretion of the abortionist to determine whether these infants had a reasonable chance of sustained life. (Mccormack)” Moreover, Obama did stated in his own words, “But it should also include — it should also include other, you know, information about contraception because, look, I’ve got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby” (Ertelt). To many people babies are considered a miracle oppose to a punishment. In the end, Obama has shown time and time again that he is all for abortion, instead of protecting the life of an unborn baby. The argument pro-choice candidates, like Barack Obama, emphasizes that these preventative services are a woman’s entitlement to their choice and privacy, but what about the unborn baby’s right to live. The sexual act the mother engages in without understanding the consequences is not the unbaby’s fault. Therefore, why should the unborn baby die as a result of the mother’s irresponsibility?

Let’s face the fact: there will always be an ongoing battle between the prolife vs. prochoice sides. Many people will assume that the issues of jobs and the economy will make or break the vote. In the end, it will all come down to the decision of the conservative Catholic and Christian voters in the battleground swing states, such as Ohio. How can one justify the known fact that there are premature babies who are born as early as 6 months, who end up living a normal life. If that same baby was killed outside of the womb, then it is considered murder. Meanwhile, an unborn baby inside a mother’s womb is only considered a blob of tissue, but they are able to experience pain at 20 weeks of gestation and “it” is not considered a person.  What happened to educating teenagers about promoting chastity instead of handing them free contraceptives? In the end,the vote will come down to a moral and ethical standpoint.

Works Cited

 The Center of Bio-Ethical Reform.  Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html>.

Ertelt, Steven. “Barack Obama Would Back Daughters’ Abortion, ‘Don’t Punish Them With a Baby.’” LifeNews. N.p., 31 Mar. 2008. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.lifenews.com/2008/03/31/nat-3827/>.

Mccormack, John. “Video: Obama Says He’s ‘Pro-Choice’ on Third-Trimester Abortions.” The Weekly Standard. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/video-obama-says-hes-pro-choice-third-trimester-abortions_650524.html>.

Patterson, H. “Teen Abortion Risks Fact Sheet.” Christian Life Resources.. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.christianliferesources.com/article/teen-abortion-risks-fact-sheet-1196>.