Naturally, there are greatly divergent moral and legal implications of these core value differences. Morally, HRL states unequivocally that abortion is equivalent to murder because it is the intentional killing of a human person. Legally, however, HRL believes that an agreement on personhood is not even necessary. It believes if there is any doubt about whether or not the fetus is a human person, then abortion should not be legal, because one cannot risk being wrong when human lives are at stake. SFC, on the other hand, states that a woman should never be forced into a pregnancy against her will, or be made to seek dangerous back-alley abortions. It relies on the important legal concepts of privacy, equal protection and consent to place abortion in the realm of every woman's right to choose.

Despite core value conflicts, however, HRL and SFC do have one final point of agreement: We strongly encourage each student, whatever his or her position on the issue, to come to tonight's IOP forum on abortion. Abortion is a crucial issue, and as voters and future leaders, students should invest the necessary effort to learn the facts and make an informed decision.

Melissa R. Moschella '02 is president of Harvard Right to Life. Shauna L. Shames '01 is co-chair of Students For Choice. Tonight's IOP forum, "Abortion: Can We Ever Find Common Ground?" is at 8 p.m. in the Arco Forum.