the tough stuff.

There are some topics that get me so frustrated that I feel like screaming.

But what makes me even more angry are discussing these things with people who have no clue what they are talking about.

Take yesterday, for example. A girlfriend and I went out for coffee to just chat about school, life, etc. Somehow, we strayed to the topic of abortion. Now, I am not a know-it-all in this debate and don't want to stand on a soapbox and preach my opinions for everyone to hear. But I was so, so offended when my friend said that "babies aren't babies until they move and cry", and that doing away with the unwanted 'mongrels' would actually benefit society - she claimed the poverty rate was reason enough to allow abortions. She said it so point-blank that I was stunned into silence.

If that doesn't curdle your blood, you need to see a doctor.

For the few moments, I was questioning why I was even friends with her. First, who is she to determine what is alive and what isn't? She's not even taking sciences! Secondly, she cannot establish a direct link with poverty and children - no one can. It's impossible. Poverty is influenced by countless other factors, so many that all the smart-people of the word can't find a solution to solve it. For her to say that babies cause poverty is completely untrue and reflects her own ignorance. And, who is she to determine who lives and dies? What credentials does she have? She is 18 years old, never had a boyfriend, never-mind a baby, has never lived in poverty, and excepts her opinion to be valid - she is absolutely ridiculous.

Personally, I believe abortions are awful and should not be allowed. However, I am not blind to the horrendous circumstances where abortions seem to be the only answer - rape, babies developing with serious defects, being born poverty or corruption, being born to a drug-addicted mother, etc. And who would blame them if they did chose abortion? What a horrible position to be in. My heart goes out to those struggling through those tough decisions. But who are we, as humans, to say who should live and who should die? I don't believe that's our call.

Ugh. These topics make me cringe because I know I'll have to face them head-on while I'm working. They are so difficult, so complex. How can they be solved? Why do we even have these issues in the first place?

D.