Take a stand this election

By Jonathon Dillon
Guest Columnist

Abortion is one of the issues which must be addressed in deliberating your vote in the upcoming election. Many people turn away from it in favor of a broader view of the issues. The common argument “no one should be a one-issue voter” confuses the reality. While conceding that all issues have some bearing on your decision, I beg you to appreciate the gravity that abortion holds because of its direct assault on the dignity of the human person. While it is touchy, it is absolutely necessary to address for this reason: abortion concerns the initial stages of personhood, and the view of the human person directly influences all aspects of politics.
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If this view of humanity is distorted at the beginning of life, then the rights accorded to persons begin to deteriorate at that point and on throughout their life, bringing up a whole range of issues. How long have our country’s citizens sat by and allowed these rights to be stripped away? And more importantly, why? Why have we allowed our moral character to slide so far as to think that the economy and gas prices are at a same priority on the election positions as abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty? Reclaiming the truth that personhood starts at conception allows for ethical treatment of workers, the elderly, the disabled, immigrants, and those on the fringes of our society.

The only logical answer for when personhood starts is at conception. When else would it begin? Is there a sort of graduation ceremony into personhood? We cannot say that it is after they are born. What about premature babies? The only difference between premature born babies and those in the womb is location.

We have experienced in our lifetimes the greatest atrocities in human history. We cannot be apathetic, we cannot be despondent. We must remember that we must pass on this country to the next generation. We must stand for principles that will not change with the fads and administrations. We must be the generation who will stand up against injustice and say with a strong and loud voice, “No more. No more shall injustice reign in my land without my having had a chance to do something about it.”