The How

I am pro life. There are numerous events and circumstances that have occurred, evolving and shaping my opinion. I will first begin by saying that I was not always of this belief. The first two and a half years of high school were spent in a constant struggle against the values I grew up with. The beginning stage of this struggle was a blind disagreement with everything that once seemed right. My parents and I would argue every night over dinner about topics such as school, friends, and religion. They would mostly be friendly arguments, as my parents felt it necessary to debate topics that I found wrong. However, I was still forced to attend church with my family every Sunday night, even though I claimed agnosticism. This is was bothered me the most about my parents, the fact that we could have a stimulating discussion on certain topics, but that I was still forced to take part activities that clearly favored their view point. This rebellion continued on to the topic of abortion and my stance on it. Both my parents, but especially my mom, are avid believers in pro life. So, one can assume on what I had just finished telling you, that I decided that I was pro choice. This issue came up several times when my parents and I would talk, but only now when I go home and have another great discussion do I actually realize that they were right the entire time. This rebellious phase quickly changed into acceptance and trust in my parents and their beliefs. The base of my stance on abortion comes from three distinct sources: the Catholic Church, my best friend Sara, and my parents and the community in which I live.

I am a Catholic and agree with the stance my church takes on abortion. I do not blindly follow all of the Catholic Church’s opinions and take everything it says as honest and true. I have come around from rebelling from the church and opposing all of its viewpoints just because it’s what Catholics believe to making educated decisions about issues that I find are important. I am dedicated to my faith and feel strongly about being known as a person of faith. Therefore, it is important to be educated on the church’s viewpoints. I will research their stance and then make an educated decision on whether or not I am in accordance with the church’s view.

During my junior year in high school, my best friend was impregnated by her boyfriend of six months. Her initial reaction was one of anger, blame, and turmoil. She debated over whether or not she should get an abortion and decided that she should. She came to me after making her decision, as she did not want to upset me. I will never forget that day when she told me that she had an abortion. At the time I did not have a strong opinion on the subject. I thought abortion was wrong, however, in certain situations it was necessary. After that day, my opinion changed dramatically. The guilt and remorse that still haunts my best friend to this day has led me to the conclusion of pro life. She was too afraid to ask anyone close to her for advice, especially her parents, thus resorting to drastic measures. My friend’s entire personality has changed since this event. She is no longer the strong, carefree girl I once knew. She questions her every decision and constantly needs reassurance that she is doing the right thing. I cannot imagine how many other girls have gone through this exact situation turning out to be insecure and afraid women.

The family I have grown up in and the community that I have lived in is very conservative. At some point in time, most children rebel from his or her parents’ beliefs. I was part of the “most” kids. However, my parents and my social background have had very strong influence in what I believe today. I have grown up in a family where my dad is strongly conservative and has been his entire life. My mom, on the other hand, was a liberal working for Senator Ted Kennedy in her youth, but as she gets older she has progressively become more conservative. As this may be the case with most adults, my mom completely opposes all things she once advocated. In addition to being one of four girls in my family, my mom finds it necessary to tell remind us, on a weekly basis, about the dangers and moral complications on abortion. This was hard for me to accept at first and I was also rebelling against my parents. However, now that I am a little bit older and more experienced in life, I believe that my parents’ views and my own views are very similar. I needed to experience like on my own and be able to make my own decisions about things, before I finally realized that my parents were right.

I believe that most people make the same decision and share the same viewpoints as their family, friends, and the surrounding community. It is very easy to just follow the ways of your parents or an older mentor. Most people can be easily swayed by a strong voice or a compelling argument. I was part of that many in high school. I jumped on the bandwagon, as they say, with many topics. I agreed with my friends who had strong opinion on certain subjects, just because I was unsure of myself. However, the end of my high school career enabled me to see past those loud voices and come to decisions on my own. My church, my friends, and my parents on many subjects influence me.