In the upcoming general election, as in every election for the past 40 years, a segment of voters will make their choice of candidates based on views on abortion.  The leaders of both parties are outspoken about their positions on the subject.  The Democratic presidential candidate recently said, "If Judge Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court, then the only responsible response to that would be to pass legislation making Roe [v. Wade] the law of the land. That's what I would do."  The president and vice president, on the other hand, have for the past four years done much to provide protections for unborn life.    

Certain followers of most world religions — Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Shintos, in addition to Catholics — believe that abortion is wrong because life is such a precious reality.  We were once the unborn.  We are all part of the same humanity.  Over two thirds of the world's 200 countries have legislation that opposes abortion on demand.  And most countries that legally permit abortion have limits on circumstances under which they may be committed.  For example, in Russia, abortions are not permitted after the first trimester of pregnancy.  In many countries, abortions may be committed in hospitals.  Those of Black Lives Matter should care — in the United States, a disproportionately higher number of unborn blacks are being aborted relative to any other race.

However, the U.S. Democratic Party is all in for abortion on demand without limits — no limit based on the child's age, no requirement to offer the mother alternatives to abortion, no standards for the condition of facilities where they are committed, etc.  New York's recently passed Reproductive Health Act refrains from including the words "health," "at risk," and "viable" so that such language could not in any way be used to legally limit a woman's putative right to an abortion.  The New York RHA is now the model that most Democratic leaders would like to see enacted throughout the country.  In contrast, the Republican Party is opposed to the legalization of abortions without limits and has energetically fought such legislation whenever and wherever it has been proposed at state and federal levels.

In this election year, the contradictory positions of the two sides regarding protection of the unborn could not be more stark.  For many who care about the issue, the decision, because of Party affiliation, may seem difficult.  But it should not be.  It is simple: for the sake of humanity, all who love life, regardless of faith, skin color, or political affiliation, should sense an obligation to avoid voting for any candidate of the national political party that opposes the protection of unborn life. 

In this time of dedication to "inclusiveness for all," the unborn should not be left out.