*This short piece is dedicated to those who have asked themselves "why?" and, having received the answer, have decided to do something about it*

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They stand on the corner of a street, or maybe on a bridge or in a park. They may be picketing at a political convention, voicing their dissent. They may be at an inauguration showing their disapproval of the elected official. They may be simply spreading information, or possibly they are merely bored and have nothing better to do. It really doesn’t matter. They are there, and that is enough.

Their signs are varied, and the individual wording is not important. One might say “Proud to be Pro-Choice.” Possibly another says, “I support Women’s Rights,” or maybe “Keep Abortion Legal.” However it is phrased, the message is clear and unambiguous. These demonstrators are voicing their support for a woman’s right to end her pregnancy by aborting the life of her unborn child.

Undoubtedly the individuals in the crowd are widely varied. One lady might be a feminist, supportive of complete freedom for women. A man in the group may be a libertarian, believing that personal decisions should not be legislated. Yet another woman could be a mother, who would never consider abortion for herself but strongly believes it should be available for those that would consider it. They could be teachers, pharmacists, doctors, athletes, anybody.

Regardless of their position in life, many of these demonstrators share something in common, something that is baffling to contemplate. They share a concern and respect for nature and the welfare of wildlife in general. Maybe one of them supports the National Zoo in its efforts to preserve Giant Pandas. Another probably thrilled with excitement when he learned of the discovery of live Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers. The mother may shed a tear every time she hears of an abused animal as her children watch Animal Planet. A teacher in the crowd may contemplate the injustice of life as her students watch a National Geographic documentary showing killer whales feasting on helpless baby seals. The more extreme in the crowd are possibly entirely against hunting, viewing it as barbaric and unfair. They may have been present at the angry candlelight vigil for an escaped tiger shot by wildlife officers in Florida. They could have supported the deluded environmentalist who lived with grizzly bears in an attempt to stop their being hunting, and in the process lost his life.

However they manifest their concern, one question begs to be asked. Why? Why do they devote such time to defending the weak and helpless of the animal world, and then stand on the streets loudly and unashamedly voicing their support of a mother’s “right” to kill her own baby? Why do their eyes moisten at the sight of baby animals exploited by predators, and yet they feel no emotion as thousands of baby humans are killed daily? Do they not see the inconsistency in their beliefs?

Many of them may not have the religious foundation upon which to make their decisions, but why can’t the pastor in the crowd show them that humans were made in the image of God and have been given sacred life? Why can’t the doctor present among them show that even at the beginning, the baby inside is entirely human and should be treated as such? Why can’t the social worker put down her sign and talk about the better alternative of adoption?

As long as the public turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to their inconsistencies and inaccuracies, the curse of abortion will continue in this country and around the world. It should not be this way, and yet it is, because so few choose to ask themselves the simple question, “why?”