To the editor:

So often heated debates regarding abortion take place in our homes, churches, universities and government, that it seems we lose sight of the real issue. Both opponents and proponents of the right to choose claim that they’re on the side of humanity, morality and justice.

What does it really mean to be pro-life? Is it fighting to prevent harm to a fertilized egg or fetus, or is it the endless and far more difficult task of providing every child with a loving family, a home and an education?

The fact is that we will never agree on when life begins, be it at conception, viability or birth. Our backgrounds and upbringings shape this core belief, and no amount of scientific fact will ever change it. What we can agree on is that our concern for human life should extend past the point at which a child is born. We should dedicate the passion and vigor with which we argue over abortion to increasing the quality of education and health care for our children, so that they may have not only a birth, but a life as well.

Artur Bagyants, Lawrence