November 9, 2000 316pm CST
I believe that the role of government is to protect people's liberties. People should have the legal rights to do whatever they like, so long as their actions do not curb the rights of others. That does not mean that it is necessarily morally acceptible for people to do whatever they please. Ultimately, we answer to a higher power than the government, and we are responsible for our moral transgressions. It is not the responsibility of the state to check our morality, it is the responsibility of churches, families, and individuals. The state should police only those actions which threaten people's lives, liberties, and property. Theft, murder, rape, fraud, and many other crimes are examples of one party depriving a second party of his rights. These crimes are all acts of aggression against an innocent party.
You may assume, from what I have said so far, that I believe that women should be able to exercise reproductive freedom. After all, what rights are more fundamental than the ability to control one's own body? And you would be right to a point. I believe that women (and men) have the right to choose whether and with whom to engage in sexual activity (though I believe that some of those decisions are more moral than others). Furthermore, I believe that people have the right to use contraceptives in order to prevent pregnancy (though I am not convinced that it is morally acceptable to use birth control). I do not believe, however, that anyone, man or woman, has the right to terminate intentionally a pregnancy. Abortion is now referred to by many people as "a woman's right to choose." This rhetoric is deceptive. People don't talk about what choice it is a woman's right to make; they refer only to her "right to choose." Anyone who has take a civics class in middle school can tell you that every American has the right to make choices. Choice is fundamental to the American way of life. However, we also know that there are choices which we are not permitted to make. I can not choose to rob a bank, cheat on my taxes, or murder my enemies. Those choices would be criminal; as I said above, one can not do things which threaten the welfare of other people. To choose to have an abortion is to end the life of another person, which is criminal. Check out Libertarians for Life. This organization is made up of people like myself who believe that abortion is inconsistent with the libertarian political philosophy.
3:15:29 PM 
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