There has been a lot of talk in the political realm recently about abortion, namely the supposed illegality of abortion and the talk of defunding Planned Parenthood. In the recent Republican debate, Mike Huckabee and Marco Rubio both agreed that the Constitution allows the President to outlaw abortions in this country and they would try to do so if elected.

Is this such a good idea? Would this be legal? What part should morality play in all this?

I don't like to make this argument when talking about abortion, however it is true that people would seek abortions, anyway. I understand that this is a fairly weak argument, just because people do it doesn't mean that it should be legal, and I agree with you. It is true, however, that when abortion was still illegal in this country, many unsafe abortions were carried out, with sometimes lethal implications for the woman. Prior to Roe v. Wade, anywhere from 200,000 to 1.2 million illegal abortions were performed annually, and close to 5,000 women died in the process. Does this mean that it should be legal? Not necessarily, however it is still something to think about. Do we have a responsibility to make sure that the lives of women aren't threatened when getting a procedure that would have happened anyway? What about the fetus? Should it be used for medical research or just discarded, which it ultimately would be if abortions were illegal?

Regardless of whether or not it would happen, an executive order outlawing abortion most certainly wouldn't be outright legal. Yes, one could try and defund Planned Parenthood, however this would just compound the issue. The decrease in affordable birth control Planned Parenthood provides would cause a rise in unwanted pregnancies, not a decrease. The fact of the matter is, the only way that Roe v. Wade would be overruled was if Congress made a constitutional amendment banning it. Anything other than that is just haggling over price.

But take a step back and think. Is this issue a government issue, or is it a social issue that the government has decided to engage with? When the government tries to subject a certain type of worldview onto the country that it governs, specifically that life begins at conception, it becomes more of a social issue and less of a governmental one. Why do people believe that life begins at conception? Because the Bible said it does. Because, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you." Now I do not believe that all people who are pro-life quote Jeremiah 1:5, but I do believe that most people that are pro-life believe so because of a moral obligation.

I will ask you this, though: what if I do not subscribe to that world view? What if I am not of the belief that getting an abortion is morally wrong? Should I be legally bound to subscribe to your world view? Should I be forced by law to uphold a moral truth that I do not believe in? The government is not forcing anyone to get an abortion. We live in a country that allows abortion; a woman can get that procedure if she so chooses. Whether or not you believe it is morally right, we must realize that what a woman can or cannot do with her body should be up to her, not a group of men in Washington.