Pro-Life or Pro-Choice: Keep Your Morals to Yourself When It Comes to Abortion

Once again, the abortion debate is in the courts and expected to be resolved in the Supreme Court. Ms. magazine recently released the fall issue with the controversial article "We Had Abortions." In response, Paula Neal Mooney's released her own article "We Had Abortions Too…and Now We Are Pro-life." In her article, Paula Mooney proposes pro-life and pro-choice activists can find middle ground to agree upon abortion issues. Unfortunately, somehow Paula Mooney and other activists have decided it is their right to decide who can and cannot have an abortion. Therefore, in regards to Paula Mooney's proposal of finding a middle ground, I propose people stop trying forcing their morals onto others. How people choose to live their life is their right to live. Human life will be valued highest when people can respect life, no matter how that person has chosen to live it.

History
During the time of the Roman civilization, thousands died in arenas, as slaves, and being tortured because they defied the morals and lifestyle the leaders of Rome choose for everyone to live. In the time of the middle age, leaders such as Robert the Pious (King of France) and Pope Gregory IX created laws allowing the torture and burning of witches, Jews, and freethinkers. There was the Holy Crusades and the Inquisition that included thousands more dying in war and converting those who chose a different belief than the leaders of the time. Queen Mary the first killed many of her own fellow citizens, Protestants, if they did not convert to Catholicism. The United States of America was formed partially from people seeking refuge from religious persecution. During 1930 and 1940, millions of humans lost their lives because Adolph Hitler believed the world should be ruled by a superior race that did not include Jews, Africans, and the mentally ill.

It could happen again.
Pro-life activists feel positive with Alito and Roberts in court, Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Another article has been published by Ms. magazine with a list of 5000 women who had abortions. However this is not simply a maneuver to keep abortion legal, it is a reminder that history has repeatedly shown millions are dying and have died when people are forced to abide to someone else's morals.

In Kosovo, from 1996- 1999, thousands of people lost their lives due to ethnic cleansing. Currently in parts of Afghanistan and some other Muslim countries, women are forced to wear clothing covering their entire bodies, forced into marriages, and are not allowed an education. From Rwanda to Darfur, millions are losing their lives in ethnic cleansing. In America during 2005 there were over 8,000 hate crimes reported. Currently, in the world today, people are still being forced to believe as a group and if they refuse, they are tortured, and even killed.

The times are changing.
In America, the Supreme Court ruled the institution of the state, or national government, must be kept separate from the religious institution. The separation of church and state has provided the freedom from a government favoring a religion or pass laws which prohibit religions, allowing people to live their life free from someone else's opinion on the Bible, Koran, or any other Holy Book if they so decide. The women who signed their names in the Ms. articles published 1972 and now again in 2006 decided that in America, religious morals are opinions of how one should live their life, not the law.

The right to choose life.
In order to control China's population families are permitted one child. The government of China enforces these laws by forcing women to receive IUDs, sterilizations, or abortions. Some women would die rather than have an abortion, as many women have died when trying to give up an unwanted pregnancy. Whether or not pro-life activists want to admit, having the ability to choose to give life is just as important as having the ability to choose not to give life. It is not the place of governments or masses to decide whether a woman has a child or not, it is a moral decision each person must decide for themselves.
While the future is unpredictable, respecting human life, no matter how that human has chosen to live their life, is not the choice of the masses or leaders in power, but the choice of one, yourself. In turn, human life will be valued highest when people can respect life, no matter how that person has chosen to live it.