Socialism, Abortion, and Lies: A Millenial Look at Free Speech

French vote to criminalize pro-life speech!

In America, we have become accustom to enjoying the right of free speech. You don't like the president? Plaster that all over your blog. You're not a fan of taxes or healthcare? Discuss it on Facebook. You want to spread awareness on social issues even those where the law and your opinion or beliefs are in direct opposition: write an article, start a petition, march on D.C. Sometimes, as an American, I take the right to free speech for granted.

This morning, as I was perusing Facebook, a sometimes too liberal example of free speech (I now know that about half my friends enjoyed their breakfasts- or didn't- and how the other half did or did not approve of Donald Trump's last tweet), I saw this article. Not only does Socialist France, not allow free speech but they actively punish those trying to correct the lies that the French government propagates. Already in French legislature is a heavy protection of abortion as a government funded right. Not only is it encouraged and promoted, but it is illegal to dissuade women from murdering their babies and has been for years. That wasn't enough though, on Thursday the French government expanded that law to prohibit online organizations from spreading what they refer to as "misinformation" about abortion. In other words, being pro-life in France is becoming a very risky business. And freedom of speech? Well if you deny that abortion is the "aspiration of an egg" (which is how the French government refers to early abortion), you are breaking the law. 

What's next? Bugs in your house to make sure citizens aren't discussing it in their free time? Bans on Facebook use - because there's plenty of misinformation about all sorts of things there. Restrictions on foreign websites? The loss of free speech is a slippery, scary slope, one I hope to never encounter. 

There are many complaints I think we all have in America, no matter what side of the issues we're on, but our right to freedom of speech is not one of them. And, that's one right that we can unite to fight to keep.