Abortion is a hot-button issue that stirs up really strong feelings. All too often, people can be disrespectful, insulting or downright nasty when defending their position, leaving no room for real debate. Earlier this week, President Obama spoke to the University of Notre Dame’s graduating class and to all Americans, calling for a “fair-minded” debate on abortion. Check out what he had to say:

President Obama has a good point. Sure, there will always be disagreements about abortion. But the back-and-forth shouting match between pro-choice and anti-choice supporters isn’t productive. It does nothing to reduce the number of abortions in the United States. And isn’t reducing the number of abortions something we can all agree on? What if there was more “fair-minded” debate that focused less on making the other side wrong and more on common goals, like reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies, making adoption more available and supporting women who chose to have a baby?

Abortion is a difficult choice for anyone to make, and hopefully you’ll never have to weigh that option. Do your part to reduce the number of abortions by abstaining from sex until you’re older and better prepared to handle the responsibilities of having a baby. And if you’re already having sex, be responsible and use condoms and other forms of birth control, like the Pill.

January 2009 will be remembered in history for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. But let’s not forget another historic event that took place 36 years ago on January 22, 1973: the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision. This decision protects a woman’s right to a legal abortion in America.

Abortion is a very personal choice. People feel strongly whether they support a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion or not, which is why the topic is so controversial. There’s no clear right or wrong when it comes to abortion. So it’s important to educate yourself and be clear about your values and beliefs when deciding where you stand on the issue.

Abortion isn’t for everyone, but for some people it’s the only decision they have when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Monica decided to have an abortion when she was 25. This is her story:

There’s been a lot of talk about Bristol Palin, the pregnant, 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Parents play an important role in teaching their children about sex. What did Bristol Palin learn about sex from her mother?

First, you have to know a little bit about where Sarah Palin stands on the issues. She is anti-choice, even in cases of rape or incest. She’s also anti-comprehensive sex ed and wants abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in schools, which means information about condoms and birth control wouldn’t be taught.

Did Sarah talk to Bristol about using condoms to protect herself from pregnancy and STDs? Or did she only push for abstinence and leave her daughter without important info about condoms that could have prevented a pregnancy?

There’s no way of knowing what Sarah and Bristol talked about, or if they talked about sex at all! Teens need and deserve honest and accurate information about sex—not only from comprehensive sex ed classes and resources like Sexetc.org, but from parents as well. Parents really do matter when it comes to learning about sex, so make sure you talk to them!

Imagine going to a doctor after deciding to have an abortion because you know you can’t support a child. Before you have the abortion, your doctor asks you to read a statement that says “the abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being” and you have “an existing relationship with that unborn human being.” Would you be shocked? Scared? Maybe you wouldn’t even bat an eye. Or maybe you’d leave before having the procedure.

In two weeks, women who choose to have abortions in South Dakota won’t have to imagine this scenario. A new abortion law will require that they be read a statement with this exact language.

The decision to have an abortion is tough. And women who choose to have abortions are very clear that it will end a pregnancy. Does telling women that they will “terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being” give women medical information they don’t already have? Or does it just manipulate women’s emotions about an already difficult decision?

Whatever you think about abortion, the decision to have one is personal. Tell us what you think about South Dakota’s new law.

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” That’s one of the main lessons that we learn from the classic Dr. Seuss book Horton Hears a Who! The new movie based on the book still carries the message of accepting people for who they are, but some protesters are using this famous quote to support the belief that abortion is wrong.

Dr. Seuss wasn’t talking about embryos and fetuses when he wrote those famous words; he was making a point about accepting people that are different from you and are often overlooked and unheard. It’s also important to know that Horton Hears a Who! was written in 1954, long before the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made abortions legal in the United States. Seuss didn’t support the anti-choice movement and neither does his widow—a proud supporter of Planned Parenthood.

If you check out the movie, listen carefully for the famous phrase, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” And remember what the good doctor had originally intended: No matter how we feel about abortion—whether we’re pro-choice, anti-choice or anywhere in between—we need to respect the decisions of others, no matter how different they are from our own.