One. My task is to convey the important facts that could save thousands of lives. Two. America is a land of freedom. Many people have asked, “Freedom from what?” In the current world, a more prevalent question is, “Freedom for whom?” Three. In the time it took me to type these sentences, the lives of three innocent human babies were taken. It was nothing personal, guys, you just were not wanted. Look, there went another one. Four.
Abortion is obviously a very controversial subject these days. We have all seen the protestors, and only a very few of us have gone without seeing the ghastly images of freshly aborted babies printed on posters and fliers. Fortunately, Mississippians have the chance to end this epidemic for good on Nov. 8. On this day, voters will be able to enact Amendment 26 which is being called the Personhood Amendment.
Amendment 26 will define personhood as “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.” It goes on to say, “This initiative shall not require any additional revenue or implementation.”
Abortion is murder. It is plain and simple. Any true research on the subject of abortion will prove this. By “true research,” I do not mean the type of research in which you simply look up facts. Although this is good research, I am referring to research many people would rather look over because giving birth would be such an inconvenience.
True research involves seeing all the gruesome photos, reading all the descriptions of the different methods of abortion, seeing all the images that correspond with each and reading testimonies from people affected by abortion (Melissa Ohaen, Claire Culwell, Anthony Levantino and Nick Cannon would be good ones to start with.) Do not only look up information from one side of the argument. Look at the topic from both sides before deciding what you believe.
Let’s get to the main issues within this amendment: abortion in general and birth control.
When it comes to abortion, it is not an all-or-nothing decision among many people. Many people claim to be against abortion except in rape situations. According to these people, no woman in her right mind would want to keep a rapist’s baby. Attorney Rebecca Kiessling considers this an insult.
Kiessling was born to her biological mother as a result of a rape at knife-point by a serial rapist. She now travels around the nation giving speeches on the topic and is a major proponent for this amendment. She was more than willing to talk to me when I contacted her about the issue.
Kiessling was very quick to explain it is rather extreme to basically tell someone he or she is disposable, like garbage. When people say they only believe in abortion in rape cases, she said they are ultimately telling her, “If I had my way, you’d be dead right now.”
She was placed for adoption at birth. Later in life, however, she had the chance to meet her biological mother, who soon adopted her as her own. She now considers Kiessling a blessing. She sees her as something beautiful that came out of something so horrific. As with many rape victims who decide not to have abortions, Kiessling’s mother found healing in having the child.
In fact, many people who are raped and have abortions say the abortion was harder to overcome than the rape. As the saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right.
Many women have also had abortions because sonograms show that their babies will be born with special needs. As a guy who has a sister with Down Syndrome, I can confidently tell you this might be more of a blessing than what most people would consider a “normal person.”
A husband and wife from my hometown discovered through a sonogram that they would have a child with no limbs. They opted out of the abortion and gave birth to a daughter who had no disabilities, did very well in school and went on to win Junior Miss during her junior year in high school.
An assumption that has been made too quickly by many people is the amendment will outlaw birth control and in vitro fertilization. This is only partially true for both situations. Only birth control that kills a fertilized egg will be outlawed, such as Plan B and RU486. In vitro fertilization will not be outlawed, but it will be against the law to destroy unused embryos. Kiessling said a person can only be convicted of homicide if there is intent to kill, action taken and the remains of the victim. With birth control, none of this is present. If birth control was taken “with intent to kill,” then face it: that would definitely be abortion.
Pro-choice proponents have loaded the heads of voters with many “scare tactics” such as the idea that a woman who suffers a miscarriage will face a criminal prosecution and doctors will not be able to save the lives of women whose pregnancies are life-threatening.
First of all, a miscarriage is an accidental death. This is just like taking care of your elderly father who dies one night in his sleep. Situations like this are natural and cannot be predicted or controlled. Secondly, the Personhood Amendment will require doctors to save the lives of both the mother and the child, but in the cases when that is impossible, the life of the mother will be saved.
Abortion must be put to an end. I used to wonder what I would believe if someone close to me was raped and faced the choice of abortion or life. After talking to Rebecca Kiessling, I am certain that I would hold my belief in life. Do not make your decision on this issue quickly. Do not choose one way or another based on what your parents or peers believe.
This is an issue in which you need to make your own decisions and beliefs. Please conduct sufficient research and realize the importance of this amendment. In the words of Rebecca Kiessling, “I hope people understand that we are talking about real people.”
 
Jay Ballard is a sophomore majoring in chemistry. He can be contacted at [email protected].