As the central topic of many marches, animosity and questioning of the current law, the issue of abortion polarizes two drastically opposing sides. Based on the argument of where life begins and its application to religious standards, abortion remains the forefront of many political disputes.

Many people who are pro-life base their arguments on religious views from all denominations. The Christian Bible states that life begins at conception, whereas modern medicine believes that life begins at birth, causing a disconnect between the two sides. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that only 48 percent of Catholics believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, less than the national average of 57 percent.

Senior James Krall of Middletown is pro-life, crediting his views to what he said is a mixture of moral and religious beliefs.

“I believe that all babies, born or in the womb, should be given the potential to live a complete life,” Krall said. “There are easy ways to avoid pregnancy altogether, like birth control and contraception and although it is a valid argument that a man or women have the right to engage in sexual actions, that freedom should not give them the freedom to make decisions on the life of an unborn child.”

Different demographics contribute to each side of this controversial argument. According to the Pew Research Center, southern states like Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and West Virginia have the lowest percentage of people who believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases at 36 percent. Northern states, on the other hand, tend to lean towards the pro-choice movement. The state with the highest percentage is Massachusetts, with 74 percent of their population in agreement that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

The pro-choice argument is often misconstrued as “pro-abortion”, however that is not the case. Pro-choice means giving women the right to choose instead of banning abortions, because you disagree.

Sophomore Francesca McCaffrey of West Long Branch is pro-choice because she believes abortions will happen regardless of the law and prefers all women to have access to safe procedures.

“I don’t think that there are necessarily a lot more people overall who are pro-choice, however, I do feel like slightly more women tend to be pro-choice,” McCaffrey said.

According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, 60 percent of women believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as opposed to the 57 percent of men who believe the same.

Another demographic tied to those who receive abortions is income. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 49 percent of abortion patients live below the federal poverty line.

There are many different demographics on both sides of the abortion debate, most of which are proven to be true by statistical studies.

In a survey of 106 CHS students conducted on Feb. 19, 2019, 74.5 percent of students said they were pro-choice and 17 percent said they were pro-life, leaving the other 8.5 percent to neither or other.