In Kampala, Uganda, there is a Gender Resource Center that deals with women’s issues such as reproductive rights. In their newsletter, Gender Alert, they discuss the issue of abortion and begin the discussion with the statement, “Scientifically, it is known that life begins as soon as conception takes place. At that moment a new being exists totally different from either the mother or father, with a different genetic make up and a complete set of 46 chromosomes. At this stage a human being is alive and capable of replacing his/her own dying cells, and at 18 days, the human heart begins to beat.”

It goes on to remind the reader that the Constitution of Uganda does not accord any person the right to take away the life of another person. By modern, international standards, certainly by American standards, Uganda would be considered a third-world country. But they are light-years ahead of first-world countries who won’t even acknowledge these basic immutable truths. And they have the courage to look at all the facts in a debate, even if the outcome isn’t what they would want.

Now, that’s enlightenment. This is Nina May at ninamay.com.