Joe Rosen

Per. 5
1/21/10

Liberal, Conservative: Choose Your Side

Today’s United States has become divided between two different views; liberal

and conservative. What is the big different between liberal and conservative? Liberals

tend to be more accepting of others and there view point, while conservatives tend to be

more religious and like the ways things are. I am of course referring to the United State’s

version of liberal and conservative. Compared to the rest of the world the United States is

considered extremely liberal no matter how much they claim they are conservative. The

world version of conservative is religion first, family second, and marriage is less about

falling in love and more about whom your family tells you, to marry. But I digress, back

to the American conservative believes in personal responsibility, a strong military

presence, and believe government’s job is to provide people the freedom to pursue their

dreams. Liberals tend to believe government’s job is to take action to help achieve equal

opportunity and equality for all people. Conservatives and liberals debate many issues in

a power struggle. These issues include abortion, affirmative action, death penalty, the

economy, gun control, health care, homeland security, immigration, religion, same-sex

marriage, social security, war on terror, welfare, and taxes. I will go further into details

with abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun control. These seem to be the three most

important issues that conservatives and liberals debate. I plan to proof that a perfect

person is neither conservative nor liberal, but instead a person who makes their own

political decisions on the facts and their own personal morals and beliefs.
 Same-sex marriage has become one of the most disputed debates between liberals

and conservatives. Liberals believe that gay and lesbian couples that love each other

should have the same rights to marriage as any other citizen in the United States.

Conservatives debate that marriage is defined as between a man and a woman and that

those who are gay and lesbian have a psychological problem.

The debate between what is right and wrong has been raging since the1960’s, but

did not come into being a national issue until about fifteen years ago. The debate was

sparked by a 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court case that ruled that a law banning same-sex

marriage was unconstitutional unless the state government could find a legitimate reason

for discrimination. In the decade to follow over 40 states passed DOMA’s or Defense of

Marriage Acts, which define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In 1996

President Bill Clinton signed a federal law stating marriage was a union between a man

and a woman. The law also states that no state can be forced to recognize a same-sex

marriage. Beginning in the early 1990’s conservative states such as Alaska, Nebraska,

and Nevada amended their state constitutions to prohibit same-sex marriage.

Conservatives began fearing that without constitutions banning same-sex marriage judges

would take the issue into their own hands.

Despite widespread efforts by many states to prevent same-sex marriage, liberals

gained some wins. In 1999 Vermont’s Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were

entitled to all the rights of a marriage couple. The next year Vermont legislature approved

a bill granting gay and lesbian couples the right to civil union. Under the law same-sex

couples who entered into a civil union were entitled to all the rights, befits, and

responsibilities as a married couple, but were not technically married. Four years later
Massachusetts ruled that it’s state constitution guaranteed gay and lesbian couples full

marital rights. In the weeks to follow Massachusetts’ decision cities around the United

States including San Francisco, Portland, and New Paltz, New York began issuing

marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The long lines made conservatives believe that

same-sex marriage would soon be a reality. Conservative were soon relieved when all

the marriage licenses outside of Massachusetts were nullified. With help from President

Bush, conservatives attempted to pass an amendment that would prohibit same-sex

marriage nationwide. Liberals were happily relieved when the amendment fell short of

the two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the Congress twice, in 2004 and again in 2006.

On the state level 13 states in 2004 added amendments to their state constitutions

prohibiting same-sex marriage. Thirteen more states added amendments in 2004, 2006

and 2008. On the liberal side, the Northeastern states Connecticut, New Hampshire, and

New Jersey passed laws allowing civil unions. Maine, Oregon, Washington state, and

California enacted domestic partnership statutes allowing many but not all benefits of

marriage to domestic partners. Between the years 2006 and 2008 California’s government

fought over allowing and disallowing same-sex marriage, finally in November 2008 Prop

8 was passed in California prohibiting same-sex marriage. Today only New Mexico,

Rohde Island, and New York have no law banning or allowing same-sex marriage.

Over the past 50 years abortion has become a hot topic of debate between liberals

and conservatives. Conservatives claim that abortion is immoral and thus should be

illegal nationwide. Liberals support abortion, claiming it is a woman’s choice if she

wants to have a child or if she would like to terminate a pregnancy. Prior to 1973 abortion
was illegal in much of the United States, but since has become legal nationwide for

woman’s health, rape, incest or unhealthy fetus reasons.

Liberals and conservatives battle over the issue back and fourth today. Liberals

explain that you can feel abortion is immoral but morality is a combination of the values

that are instilled in you and the facts of any matter. This means that any argument about

morality can never end because morality is different for every single person. Liberals

define abortion as the expulsion or extraction of any part of the placenta or membranes

with or without an abortus, before the 20th week. This is based on the fact that no human

organism can survive outside the womb before this date and therefore premature birth is

not even an option. Most abortions are done in the first trimester in which little is

matured. Late-term abortion is when the pregnancy is in the second trimester. Partial-

birth abortion refers to no abortion at all, but instead to killing a premature baby who may

survive. Partial-birth abortions are almost unheard of and only done under most unusual

situations, such as when a baby is already dead in the womb.

The majority of elective abortions happen before the fourth month at which time

there is no complex cerebral cortex and no major central nervous activity, this condition

is considered death in adults. A human being in this state cannot really be killed just

unplugged. An abortion after the fourth month is not considered an elective abortion. No

competent doctor would conduct an abortion after the fourth month and no intelligent

mother would risk it.

On the conservative side abortion is considered illegal. They claim that a prenate

is entitled to human rights, these rights include birth. They claim that prenates are

humans and you would not kill an adult human being. There last point is that if you take
the responsibility to have sex you most also be prepared for the responsibility of your

actions.

Gun control is a heated debate in today’s world. Liberals argue that guns help

criminals commit crimes. Some liberals go as far as saying guns should be prohibited,

except police handguns. Others would like a more in-depth look into on people who want

to own a gun. Those who oppose gun control claim it just make more of a hassle for law-

abiding citizens who have no criminal past at all. They claim that criminals will get

weapons anyway, so why not let the constitutional right to own a gun. The statistics on

gun ownership have no real conclusion if guns are helping or hurting crime in the United

States.

No matter if you are liberal or conservative you have an opinion about every issue

in the world. I feel that abortion, same-sex marriage, and gun ownership are three of the

most controversial topics. My feeling is that all people should be able to get married

because everyone deserves to be happy and same-sex couples are not hurting anyone by

getting married. Abortion is every woman’s decision, it is her body first before anyone

else and if you can’t take care of yourself how do you plan on taking care of another

being? Gun control I am split on because I can see no reason why it should be controlled

and no reason why it should be free. Make decisions for yourself not for you political

affiliation.