As the November elections draw near, it becomes more and more apparent that we are a people divided, entrenched along ideological divisions that are likely to never be crossed. These ideological boundaries, in addition to being impassable, are also unspeakable.

In everyday conversation, questions of politics, religion and the ground between are skimmed or avoided. For fear of rejection, we do not bring these issues into the light. And when we do bring these topics up, we allow anger to get in the way of any possibility of productive discourse.

We like to think that we can find some common ground by discussing the important intellectual issues of our time, but God forbid we talk about God and religion. And if we want to talk politics, we can argue until we are blue in the face and red with rage. The end result of all of this discussion is simply that we find ourselves where we started – entrenched in our beliefs with no common ground gained.

Last week, members of Loyola Life, Loyola’s Pro-Life student organization, broke one of the taboos of our time and talked with people about abortion.

They stood in the Danna Center and asked the question, “Are you Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?” People signed their names on a piece of paper, indicating how they identified. Some people spoke about why they felt the way they did. For a few hours, a literal common ground was achieved as students stood in the same physical space and talked about their experiences and how abortion had touched on their own part of a much greater common human experience.

As a community of human beings sharing the same history and engaging in the same collective human experience, we already have a common ground. With this fact in mind, I hope that we as a community can continue to talk with each other about how abortion has affected our lives. More than that, I hope that this continued conversation becomes a source not of social strife, but of communal support.

Loyola Life aims to provide resources to those who are dealing with these questions or even facing these decisions. As a means of being present to the Loyola community, Loyola Life plans to table in the Danna Center on Wednesdays during lunch to foster this discussion. I encourage students and faculty to stop by, converse with us, and share their own experiences.

Alex Hall is a religious studies senior with a focus in Christianity and can be reached at [email protected]

In My Opinion is a weekly column open to any Loyola student. Those interested in contributing can contact [email protected]