Editor's Note: This article is about the controversial topic of abortion. I encourage all of you to discuss this with your parents prior to reading. I also expect everyone to remain respectful of each other's opinions in the BBS.

Abortion. This topic is widely debated and no one ever seems to come up with a clear cut reason for why it should be legal or illegal. Whatever your views on this matter are, I'm about to let you in. Let you know both sides to the story, and leave you decide what is right and what is wrong.

On one side there are the people who believe that abortion is murder. They are viewed as "pro-life". Abortion is defined as "the removal of an embryo from a woman's body in order to end pregnancy". This side of the debate is saying that that embryo is a human life, an otherwise perfectly fine human life.

The real controversy arises when women use abortion as a form of birth control. There is no real reason for these women to end their pregnancy except for the fact that the child is unwanted, a situation that can be dealt with after birth. Although many people see abortion as morally wrong, whether there is a valid reason or not, many people believe that there is no valid reason at all.

The story is that abortion is seen as murder and murder is a sin. The pro-life side of the debate is strongly tied with religious morals. They believe that the unborn child has a right to their future, a right to life. But the question stills remains, at which point is an unborn child considered to have life?

On the other side, the "pro-choice" side, they believe that women have the right to do as they wish with their body. They argue that no one but the woman in that particular situation knows what they are going through. These women should be given the chance to keep, or to get rid of, the life that they are carrying.

They see abortion as a human right, a right that can not and should not be taken away. This side of the debate also taps into ethics. Why should a man sitting on Capitol Hill be able to choose what a pregnant woman may or may not do with her body? They see that there may be valid reasons as to why an abortion is wanted. For example, a woman may become pregnant as the result of a rape, or the protective measures that they took may not have worked. Both of these reasons, in the pro-choice argument, seem valid enough for an abortion. If a child is unwanted and measures are taken to prevent this from happening, there is no reason that a woman should be denied the right to control their body if the measures should happen to fail.

So you decide, get out there and join the fight. A war is raging over morals, ethics, religion, and politics. This may be one of the most highly controversial situations of our generation. Get out there and speak up. Are you pro-life or pro-choice? Is your voice for an unborn baby, or for a pregnant woman? There are numerous organizations out there; you just have to find the one that believes what you believe. Make a difference in someone's life.

Thanks for taking time out to change the world,
Screamxx