Pull up a chair readers. The guest speaker for today is going to tell a story. Please listen carefully because there is an important message.

This is the story of Melody. Melody isn’t her real name mind you. I changed it because I didn’t think she would want her name plastered all over campus.

Now, Melody is your average, aspiring college sophomore. She met a great guy at a party one night, and two weeks later they began seeing each other steadily. As the weeks passed, one thing led to another and they made the decision to sleep together. Keep in mind that there weren’t separate beds, and they didn’t get much sleep. Got it?

Please try to control your gasps of shock and surprise. You might need them later in the story.

Melody and her boyfriend continued sleeping together, trusting in her birth control pills. Unfortunately something went awry (a few too many late pills that month) and she found herself pregnant, very confused and faced with the wrath of society’s old-fashioned morals.

Here’s where the class participation part comes in. What should Melody do?

I’m sure that for some of you there is no question in your minds as to what Melody should do. You are the people that feel if she was irresponsible enough to get pregnant, she ought to stand by her mistake and have the child regardless of whether or not she chooses to keep it.

All those that agree with this philosophy step to the left and put on your pro-life hats and buttons.

Now for the rest of you. Some of you no doubt belive that neither Melody nor her boyfriend are ready for a baby. What will their families say? What kind of home life could they offer?

So you people feel that she should consider an abortion. Please step to the right and put on your pro-choice hats and buttons. Hey you pro-life people, no harassing the others!

Wait! Some of you are still left standing. Can’t decide? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Very few people can truthfully say what they would do until they are put in that situation. You view some circumstances where abortion would be acceptable, but you don’t like the whole concept of abortion itself.

So, where do you fit in? The pro-life group says that abortion is always wrong regardless of circumstances. You don’t agree with that? The pro-choice movement believes that, regardless of circumstances, the woman has the choice to do what she feels is right for her. That sounds pretty fair to me. Free choice should be a given right? Well, according to the pro-life group it shouldn’t be.

You may not agree with the idea of abortion, and you may personally think it is wrong, but who are you to tell someone else what to do with their personal life? I think we owe it to ourselves, as well as the rest of the world, to allow free choice.

The pro-life people weren’t in the room when Melody and her boyfriend made the decision to sleep together. I don’t think they have the right to decide the consequences of their actions for them.

The pro-choice position doesn’t necessarily mean that you condone abortions. It simply means that you are in favor of a woman being able to control her life. Isn’t that what we all want? The freedom to live our own lives?

What? Oh! You all want to know what Melody decided to do. Well, what happens to Melody is up to you. You must decide if she is allowed the freedom that we are all entitled to.