In this Aug. 29, 2012, file photo, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) waves to the delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. Portman said Thursday, March 14, 2013 that he now supports gay marriage and says his reversal on the issue began when he learned one of his sons is gay. (Courtesy of AP)

Young voters are often described as socially liberal, implying they are in favor of gay marriage, in favor of abortion rights and generally take the position of Democrats on
these issues.

But the more accurate term to describe the political positions of the youth today would be classically liberal, or in favor of the expansion of basic human rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This explains why a Gallup poll in 2009 showed that the 18-29 year-old demographic was the second most anti-abortion age group, second only to the 65+ crowd. In 2012, the number of Americans who identified themselves as “pro-choice” hit an all time low at just 41 percent.

The country is becoming more and more against abortion, and it seems to be driven primarily by young voters. For many, it seems baffling that the youth could hold a conservative position on abortion but a liberal position on gay marriage, as so often it seems as though the two issues go hand in hand.
They do, but not in the way that most think they do.

In both cases, the youth are in favor of extending the most basic rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to those who have previously been denied them. Younger Americans are increasingly realizing that without a protection to life at the most basic level, any other rights are rendered meaningless.

More importantly, this trend – and the philosophical logic behind it – show that the anti-abortion position will prevail in the long run. The moral implication of the pro-abortion rights position is that the unborn are somehow less than human and therefore less deserving of the right to life.

The unsettlingly illiberal nature of this implication is precisely why the position is losing popularity. Ideologies based on similarly questionable moral logic have all ended up in the ash heap of history.

America has always trended toward extending these basic human rights and will continue to do so until they truly are universal.

The same can be said about gay marriage. The debate on gay marriage within the GOP is again being driven by younger politicians. The opposition to gay marriage is dying out, both within the GOP and across America as a whole. The recent flip of party star Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) shows this perfectly. Younger voters have more gay friends and family members, and are more aware of the gay community in general. The more acquainted they become with the community, the more they recognize their right to the same legal protections as everyone else.

The campaign for gay marriage has been particularly fast-paced lately, and the trend line in favor of gay marriage has jumped just as quickly. The anti-abortion position has seen the same upward trajectory, but has been much slower and gradual in it’s pace. But the trends and the history on issues like these is clear and in time the right to life will be extended to the unborn and the right to the pursuit of happiness via marriage will be extended to gays. It’s only a matter of time.

Keene is a junior majoring in political science, economics and public policy.