If you ask what abortion is, one person will say it’s the ending of an unwanted pregnancy. Another will say it is murder. Some say women’s rights require it; others say it is unconstitutional.

I personally believe that life begins at fertilization. From that point a new organism is created with its own unique DNA. I believe it would be wrong to exterminate that life.

You may wonder where you stand on this issue and what affects the upcoming presidential election will have on abortion rights.

A 2020 Gallup poll showed 48% of Americans say they are in favor of abortion, while 46% say they are not. Another 44% believe abortion is morally acceptable and 47% say it is morally wrong. There are multiple arguments for both sides, and they are worth looking into.

Arguments for abortion include “My body, my choice.” Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, said “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body.”

Another common argument states the unborn is a clump of cells or a blob of tissue and not a human being.  

On the other side, the online Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries defines the word pregnant as “(of a woman or female animal) having a baby or young animal developing inside her/its body.” This reinforces the idea that a baby, not just a blob of tissue, lives inside the pregnant mother.

You may be surprised to learn the original feminists, who included the famous Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, would not have agreed with the feminists of today on abortion. Stanton said, “when we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.”

After you decide where you stand on abortion, it is important you take into consideration Donald Trump’s and Joe Biden’s views on this issue before you vote.

Trump was the first president to ever attend the March for Life rally. He said at the 2016 Republican National Convention, “Tonight we proudly declare that all children born and unborn have a God-given right to life.” He also tweeted last year, “…I am strongly pro-life, with the three exceptions – rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother.”

Statistically most abortions are done out of convenience, and sadly many times a woman is pressured by her parents or partner to get the abortion.

Trump has also supported the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which sought to provide protection for babies who survive abortions and penalize doctors who do otherwise. The act failed, but on Sept. 25 he signed an executive order guaranteeing babies who survive abortion procedures the same medical care any other infant would receive.

Trump has also said he would appoint judges who oppose abortion, and this has been seen most recently through his appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Barrett is a Catholic mother of seven children and a former law professor.

Joe Biden is on the pro-choice side currently, but during his 47 years as a politician he has gone back and forth on his abortion stand. In a 1974 interview with theWashingtonian, Biden said, “I don’t like the Supreme Court decision on abortion. I think it went too far.” Fast-forward to last year, Biden’s view flipped to “(Roe vs. Wade) …should be the law.” Biden’s recent voting record has been in line with today’s extreme pro-abortion views.

Whatever your views are now, research both sides with an open mind. You don’t have to blindly go along with what seems to be the popular opinion. The future of abortion and the future of generations to come depends, at least in part, on YOU.

Do your own research and decide where you stand.

— Deirdre Holmes is a contributor and early college high school student