Sydney Newton
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Abortion. It’s a topic that no one takes lightheartedly, no matter what you believe. Abortion and how it relates to the Planned Parenthood situation are pressing issues in our country. The fight for womens’ rights versus the government’s prohibition is one that hasn’t been won yet. The rumors that have been levied on Planned Parenthood are making things even more problematic. A recent indictment of two anti-abortion activists has brought this issue to the frontline of importance, however.

All of the Republican candidates have outwardly opposed abortion and Planned Parenthood. Carly Fiona recently declared, “In President Fiorina’s budget, there will not be a single dime for Planned Parenthood.” Donald Trump also claims he will defund Planned Parenthood but hasn’t specified details.

In turn, all of the Democratic candidates have declared themselves “pro-choice” and support Planned Parenthood. With each of the candidate’s certainty on this issue, it almost seems that there’s no room to be indifferent. If you are “pro-choice” but consider yourself a Republican, or if you are “pro-life” and consider yourself a Democrat, it calls for an important decision to be made.

In 2015, Gallup released a poll reporting that 50 percent of Americans were pro-choice while 44 percent were pro-life. It’s basically split. Something to mention, though, is that everyone’s definitions of pro-choice and pro-life are different. And most of the candidates have gone back and forth on what their definitions consist of as well.

How far are people willing to lean on this issue? In 2014, a New York Times poll said that 40 percent of Americans would vote for a candidate who doesn’t share their views on abortion. This is not only topic where people are willing to compromise on, but it is one of the more important ones. It is interesting that this subject seems to spark so much passion, yet when politicians state their stances, it does not seem to hold much value.

If candidates want to defund Planned Parenthood, do they have another idea in place to fill in for all the other services the organization provides? Maybe if the candidates would come up with a different solution or another idea, it would change some people’s minds about this issue.

Abortion is not a fun topic to discuss, so when we use the words pro-choice or pro-life and try to pin people into categories, there’s a lot of in-between and exceptions that seem to be left out most of the time. It may be that many people who claim to be “pro-life” still think a woman deserves her right to choose. If you support Planned Parenthood, does that automatically mean you can’t be pro-life anymore? Some people seem to think so, but that isn’t the case at all.

It’s difficult for those in the middle of the debate or who haven’t decided to side with a candidate on this issue, because the candidates aren’t explaining their stance or giving any leeway to what they support. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be firm in their decision, but on an issue like this, it’s important to consider every possible situation.