There's a good chance that a majority of people won't run into many truly controversial subjects while in college, but those who do will find that they should be taken seriously. One must acknowledge the weight of opposing statements relating to the question of abortion: “There is an overwhelming number of people in the United States who actively support murder,” and “there is a large percentage of people in the United States who are trying to repeal women’s rights.” These statements are scary, as well as overly generalized, and that is precisely why they are so compelling. There is a good chance that you strongly agree or disagree with one of these statements. Most importantly, everyone should take a stand and support a side.
Here’s a helpful exercise: think of a controversial topic you support. Then, imagine what would happen if you were wrong. Think of the consequences of what you are supporting. If the first thing that you think is “well, I’m not wrong,” then you’re failing this exercise. Try to ignore any biases and think of a convincing argument for both sides. If this task is as hard for you as it was for me, then there is a good chance you actually are wrong – not necessarily in your conclusion, but at least in the process leading up to it or perhaps some of the key facts. College is the gateway between our childhood and adult life, and while we may have held opinions on these matters in our childhood, there is a strong chance our opinions were underdeveloped and rooted in what we heard rather than what we sincerely believed. Unfortunately, these topics and the way we think about them come with high stakes.
Whether or not abortion should be legal is a highly controversial subject accompanied by lots of moral implications. On one side are pro-choice advocates, with the argument that taking away the right to abortion is taking away the rights women have over their own bodies. On the other side are pro-life advocates, who argue that abortion is the taking of another human’s life. Of course these are just the simplest variations of each side’s argument, and there are certainly some who may not entirely agree with those points, but still defer to one side. The competing subjects at hand are the suppression of rights and the legalization of murder, and we as a society cannot afford to risk making the wrong decision.
It’s becoming more and more common to see someone say something uninformed online or in public, and then get aggressively confronted by the opposing side. This attack helps no one. First off, the aggression causes resentment, which in turn causes stubbornness. Second, it may inspire some bystanders to take a side without truly understanding the complexity of the problem. This sort of attack has the potential to spiral into a vicious loop of both sides looking uninformed, while neither side of the issue is accurately or fairly represented.
We as humans should take a side on the abortion debate because no matter how you look at it, human rights are being violated. It is vitally important that the side of the argument that is correct comes out on top. Sometimes the only reason we are clinging to one side or the other, without real knowledge of the problem, is because someone told us to do so. We have plenty of outside influences and role models, but they don’t always have our or any other human’s best interests at heart. It is our obligation to take as many resources as possible and look at the issue in as many ways as possible. Philosopher René Descartes begins his famous meditations with removing every fact or stance that he has any reason to doubt, then building up to conclusions. We don’t need to do this to the same extreme as Descartes, as he has already proven the existence of humans, but this approach allows us to step back and see the larger picture. We live in the golden age of information. We have access to countless pieces of information available through the Internet, along with countless bits of fabricated and illogical statements masquerading as truth. If you have any reason to doubt something you hear or previously thought, there is no reason not to do something about it. Reflect on it, look it up online, utilize a library. This process will ensure that you are as confident in your position as possible.
You also might be someone who has no opinion either way on the abortion debate; unfortunately, this is probably the worst position one can take. Participation in this debate should be treated similarly to voting, as a civic duty. A society should strive to better itself at all times, and each member’s civic duty is to participate in that very advancement. The abortion debate is directly tied to our Constitution, which states the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Dialogue is needed on a college campus, and if we follow the culture of avoiding the discussion of abortion, then nothing changes. This suppression of the topic does not cause any minds to change. On the contrary, opinions will fester, and only hate will result.