Justice

Justice is defending what is morally right. This statement is purposefully vague, as justice is not a hard and fast practice. It’s something that evolves with its beholders — homosexuality was considered immoral and unnatural by the American public only twenty years ago. Sexuality and plenty of other contemporary issues are rallying support: perceptions of gender, gender conformity, institutionalized racism, and United States economic policies to name a small few. Regardless of where someone stands on these issues, they feel justified in their opinion because people act in accordance with their own moral judgements. It is extremely unlikely that someone who believes that medicines should be more affordable in the United States will call their local leaders in opposition to legalization of maximum insulin prices.

To me, the most important form of justice is that which is self imposed rather than imposed upon others. The first example that comes to my mind is anti-abortion groups. There is nothing inherently wrong with being against abortions — these people often hold their beliefs for the sake of life or religious purposes, which are very valid moral concerns. What is extremely troubling is when these groups do not consider the impact of their views’ prioritization and enforcement on others; many women have to receive abortions to save their own lives, to avoid health complications, or even to prevent certain deaths of children after birth due to the mother’s lack of finances. Often countering with ideas of foster care or adoption centers, these groups neglect the overwhelmingly negative circumstances of these facilities. Children who are never selected for adoption in these programs are forced to navigate their childhood alone and their adulthood with no guidance, safety net, or genuinely informative life experiences. Often becoming homeless, imprisoned, or both, the quality of life these children receive is questionable at best. With a very high risk alternative to abortion remaining the sole alternative available to women who cannot find a reliable adoptive family for their children, it remains clear that until programs are vastly improved, each individual woman should determine what the best course of action is.

This same concept can be applied to trans rights and other hot button topics, but I digress. Justice is something that every person has a right to, but it is not something to be used without considering how others could be hurt.