Our lives are influenced by government at all levels.  There is clearly much power at the national level.  Right now, each state is determining not only if abortion is legal, and what restrictions are put on it, but whether abortion should be recognized as a personal right in the state constitution. The election of representatives at both state and national levels can greatly affect what laws concerning abortion are passed.  Judges also have influence in states where the requirement for parental notification or consent can be overridden by a judge. 

Certainly, there are many important issues to be considered when choosing who to vote for. Most of them, however, concern quality of life, while abortion is life-and-death issue for preborn children, and a life-altering decision for women. In some races, the issue is decided not by the will of the public but which side has more voters with that opinion who actually take the trouble to vote. In addition to voting, other actions include working to support a pro-life candidate for office, contacting your representative to support or oppose particular legislation that is under consideration, and signing petitions and encouraging others to do so. 

School board elections can also be important. Depending on the state, school textbooks may be determined by the state or by the local school board. The state may make recommendations but still allow the local board to have the final say.  Books in the school library may be determined by the librarian.  Parents have succeeded in having certain books removed from the shelves, or limited by age or parental permission, but some organizations have fought the “banning” of books on the basis of the First Amendment right to free speech.  The Supreme Court has ruled that “removing books based on their content amounts to censorship.” But also said that “school boards may not remove books simply because they disagree with the ideas expressed.”