Tennessee's Abortion Plan

States legislatures, like the one in South Dakota and now Tennessee, seem to place a high priority on going through the U.S. courts systems waging a war, one they see as implicity moral, to end the currently legal medical procedures of abortion.

This happens in a campaign year, of course, giving life to much grandstanding by politicians. The sad truth is the volatile issues of abortion will never be answered by a court verdict or opinion. In fact, it further prevents and stalls meaningful debate and discussion and education about human sexuality. Instead the public is given a sideshow of sleight of hand - one political party is moral, another is immoral, one politician is moral, another immoral - all based on their votes or lack of votes to outlaw or keep legal abortion. Certainly, a voter has the right to base their vote on a single issue such as abortion if they wish. But I must say if you believe that making this medical procedure illegal will end it in the nation, then you are wrong and naive.

It happened before the infamous Roe v. Wade ruling, it happened 600 years ago, it happened as far back as you care to trace human history. What changed after Roe V. Wade? It became a process controlled by laws and medically safe methods. And it became a choice for a woman, or a couple, or for parents to make. To end the choice now, or rather, to argue about the choice in courts ignores so many larger issues.

Let's face it - people have sex and they have it a lot. Always have, always will. Sometimes it is consensual and sometimes it is abuse. The more recent trendy notion of just abstaining is moored to strong beliefs and fine intentions. But it also denies the basic functions of a human body.

Want to reduce unwanted pregnancy, break the chains of child abuse, drop the number of abortions performed? The answer is Sex Education. Factual accurate information about the human body and how it works - well, even that remains debated. Yet, the more plain and honest the discussion about our bodies and our sexuality, the better each person will be when their bodies and minds bring them to sexual situations.

Stop the game of amendments and court battles.

The real questions of sex education can should replace it - what information, who should teach it and when should the information be provided are far more critical and important and will lead to better decisions.