RIHLA #23

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<span><span>This I Believe

<span> I have always been pro-life. I feel that once something has been conceived, no one should take that life away. For many, this belief just lies within whether or not they agree with abortion. While this is where my belief stems from, I feel that this should expand beyond the life of a fetus to any and all living things.

<span> Because of my faith, I have a strong opposition to abortion; however, when a friend of mine approached me with the fact that they were pregnant I felt a huge tug of war going on inside of me. I knew that I wanted them to make whatever decision they felt would be best for them, but I didn’t know if I would be able to fully support them knowing that the choice they would make went against everything I had always believed in. I had always said that if I were to get pregnant before I was married I would keep it because I didn’t feel like it was my choice to take away a life that God had created. However, as I sat conversing with my friend and seeing the struggle she faced, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to follow my beliefs if I were to be placed in the same situation. Even with what I felt in my heart, I knew that I couldn’t say with full conviction that if she and I were to switch places I would without a doubt keep my baby regardless of the consequences and the impact it would have on my goals for my life.

<span> Just as the question of the morality behind abortion is often present in my mind, I also cant help but wonder about my true feelings behind capital punishment. Though I believe in justice and that everyone deserves to be punished for his or her crimes, capital punishment is in a sense putting someone’s fate in the hands of others. While I would want to have justice for a loved one of mine if they were to be killed or maimed in some sort of way, I feel that if I were to be the one to commit a crime of such manner, I would not want others to be able to decide my fate. So the question I have to myself is what is it that I truly believe in regards to be pro-life. In all honesty, I believe that at this point I have no true stance on the issue because I have never been placed in a situation where I have had to decide whether to keep or abort a pregnancy or have been faced with capital punisment.

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