Sacrificing a little for the good of all Why the Government must, at times, infringe upon individual liberties. Pedigo12 July 1999 Throughout the history of our country, the State has been called on to place certain restraints on freedoms. These restraints have been instituted by all levels of government during times when action was warranted to provide for the protection of individual or group rights and public safety. These restraints, typically laws, have affected to varying degrees the absolute freedoms of people. Freedom, in this case, means the absence of external legal restraint to carry out actions of free will. Initially this seems to be undesirable, but when that act of free will is to violate the legal freedoms of one or more people then restraining the act is justified. The state must ensure that the rights, freedoms and liberties of individuals and groups are not impeded by the acts of others. The views or beliefs of one group of people, no matter how large or powerful, cannot be permitted to infringe on the rights of even one individual. This concept is the very base of our society. There is an issue today that is testing this concept, and that issue is abortion, The volatility of the topic and the perplexity of the laws and rulings associated with abortion leads to the question: How much should our government be involved in the abortion issue?The diverse, and often volatile, points of view associated with the abortion issue often incorporate raw emotion powerful enough to lead to violent behavior. The difficulty in defining the morality of the issue perhaps provides a breeding ground for immoderate thinking brought on by the all or nothing stands of the supporters and opponents of the issue. This intolerance of the "other side" has led to many instances of intimidation and outright violence. When these acts of intimidation and violence occur the rights of the victim, guaranteed by our Constitution, are vi...
