I’m a moderate. A centrist. I voted for a Libertarian the first time I had a chance to vote in a presidential election and for a Big Government liberal in Barack Obama the second time. I’d like to think I’m usually for finding a middle ground. But there is one issue with no middle grounds. The issue of abortion seems only to posses poles. Either you believe it should be legal or you do not.

Madison became the frontline for the issue on Saturday. About 800 people from around Wisconsin showed up in Madison to protest abortion in light of the possibility of UW/Meriter clinic offering abortions through the 22nd week of pregnancy. The requisite counter-protest of abortion rights marchers was organized by the International Socialist Organization. Stay Classy, ISO. Hoisting signs like “Abortion is a Human Right” seems like an oxymoron to me, but my views are often in the minority.

I’ve written a column on abortion already. In case you missed it, I think it’s wrong; I don’t think you need to believe in any god to see why ending a life is wrong; and the argument that it only affects one person is specious. So, you know where I stand on the issue. But from my spectators’ seat in the middle, I can’t help but point out a few glaring and distracting issues that obstruct the discussion on abortion. Let’s lay a few ground rules for Madison’s debate on abortion.

The anti-abortion claim that if one is able to figure out sex, one is suddenly qualified to have a child is unfounded. You’ve heard this argument before — it’s the “Well, if you had sex, you have to accept the consequences” argument. Those “consequences” being a human being which requires a lifetime’s worth of varying levels and forms of parenting. Many people will tell you sex is terribly difficult to perfect, but not too hard to do. A 14-year-old child who has managed to figure out the mechanics of sexual intercourse is not suddenly qualified to father or mother a child. This truism, by the way, holds for all ages. This talking point needs to go.

In acknowledging this, anti-abortionists such as myself must acknowledge the role education must play in preventing abortions. A 14-year-old may not need to be educated on how to have sex, but he or she will need to be made aware of the consequences. Abstinence campaigns and curriculum are failing young people. Those of us who have insisted upon them should be ashamed. Prevention, too, must become part of our vocabulary, as well as the C-word: contraceptives.

One of the more popular refrains from the abortion rights crowds is the government has no right to have a say in what a woman does with her body. That’s not true, and it already does. There exists a framework of laws that govern what we can and can do with our bodies, were it only to affect our own bodies — as in the case of certain types of drug use — or another’s — as in the case of theft, murder or rape.

Such logic is a disavowal of government’s role to protect its citizens from the inevitable irrationality of their own decisions. Laws related to the use of certain drugs exemplify this point. Further, government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from one another, exemplified by the plethora of laws that criminalize theft, murder, rape and a host of other crimes.

Anti-abortionists must also realize that the use of the aborted baby photo must end, as does the spirit of condemnation that seems to perch atop the shoulder of anti-abortion demonstrators. It is just as revolting, off-putting and offensive to those who agree with you as to those who don’t. It is as effective as the aforementioned abstinence programs. A far more effective way of making a difference in Madison, a far more compassionate city than you give us credit for, would be to have pictures of a child’s development throughout a pregnancy. Or a placard that proclaims, “You have choices.” You will find your cause wanting in support if you come to judge this city.

Finally, to the ISOs and other organizations who would think of organizing further demonstrations, rallies or throngs in support of abortion. Even for those who support abortion, it’s not a cause to proclaim a human right or to rally around in the streets. It does not seem to be something a woman does with her head held high, fist raised in victory, joyous at her ability to exercise her right to an abortion. It’s a somber, even mournful moment for woman. Isn’t that what its proponents often tell us? Put down the bull horns, the placards and infuse your support — which, as a reminder, I decry — with the sort of compassionate consideration those you claim to support deserve.

Though, I suppose that’s the message both sides need to observe.

Gerald Cox ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in economics.