CREATING THE MAJORITY This work is copyright of Charles E. Weindorf (1992) and may not be posted to other electronic forums or media, or placed in print without the written permission of the author. "Settled!" Peter Antoli thought as the limousine sped away from the Supreme Court. "The abortion issue is decided once and for all." Peter looked across the fine leather and wood interior to his partner Liaison to the Observer. Cheryl Ritner glared out the window of the vehicle, but she refused to look back at her male counterpart. Peter knew she was angry at the decision of the seven old men and two old women who were the Chief Justices. Abortion was again illegal, except in extreme cases, and the political tide on the issue had been overwhelming. This time, Peter was certain, the Supreme Court had matched the will of the people and made the inevitable decision. Though Antoli was pleased that the decision had come down on the side he supported, he kept quiet because she was a friend. She had desperately wanted the Choice side to keep abortion legal. Peter looked down at the child safety seat between them to see what the Observer was doing. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that the single eye of the alien was focused on him. Shifting nervously, the young man let go of his smile and nodded to the unblinking creature. The Observer's race had arrived on the Earth in 2046, three short years ago, and they did nothing more than drop off this solitary emissary. Immediately, the Observer began looking for two human representatives who could accompany it in its studies of the planet. By some unknown logic, the Observer settled on Peter and Cheryl - two very ordinary thirtyish adults. Not to act out of character, the Observer began to observe. It didn't limit itself to the subject as it took in everything from classical opera to the Senior Professional Wrestling tour. The one eye that didn't blink wanted to see all that could be seen. "Tell me about your smile," the Observer's third appendage on the left lifted his tiny translator clear of the kiddie restraint belt. All eight 'arms' grew quiet as the eye watched each nuance of Peter's expression. "I'm pleased with the decision," Peter folded his arms to steady himself. Though he had been with the Observer for the full three years, the alien's scrutiny still unnerved him. The eye took up a full third of the trunk of the furry body, and the appendages sprouted in a symmetric flower around the eye. Even with it's baseball-sized combination life- support, computer and translator, the Observer seemed lost in the child's seat. "I supported the Life position." "Why?" the Observer's question was one that the alien repeated constantly. No three-year-old human child could have used it more incessantly that the Observer. "My religious beliefs are like those of the Life supporters," Peter glanced at Cheryl to see that her glare was as sharp as the alien's. Peter quit fidgeting and stood his emotional ground. "This issue is very close to our hearts." "And what about the women's rights?" Cheryl was a slim woman with a slow temper. Her burning words took Peter by surprise and drew the Observer's full attention. "What about the thousands of women who will use unsafe drugs from third world nations to abort?" Before the stocky man could recite the textbook response, eight waving arms interrupted the humans. "My friends," the Observer was able to quiet each with darting looks. "We have heard the rhetoric from your skilled and impassioned lawyers. There is no need to create a rift between you." "How can you understand how we feel?" Cheryl's red, curly hair drooped into her left eye. "You can't possibly comprehend the consequences of this decision. Just how smart can you be with a brain that size?" Her eyes went wide and she brushed the fallen locke back with a shaky hand. As she bit her lower lip, Cheryl felt bad about lashing out at the Observer. With her Irish pride fighting the regret for the insult, Cheryl put a hand on the Observer's seat. She wasn't afraid of the consequences of angering an alien race: she was sorry for hurting the creature's feelings. As Peter had confided in her, "The Observer was a fairly decent it." "How smart with a brain my size?" the Observer's voice was cold. "The whales say the same thing about you." Peter put more wrinkles in his suit as he inched away from the alien. Had he heard anger in it's voice? His concern broke as Cheryl let out a short, honest laugh. "Don't do that," a smile cracked the woman's lips and some of the angry red left her face. "We can't tell when you're kidding." An appendage wrapped around her left index finger, and the Observer spoke. "Forgiven." "Tell us, O," Peter used the familiar. "You can look at this without our emotions. Is the abortion issue settled finally?" "Since you ask the question," the Observer said, "then you believe the issue is closed. Cheryl, what do you think?" "I don't see the law being overturned any time soon," Cheryl frowned deeply as she sank back into the plush seat. "The political climate favors the conservative Life side." "But I want your unbiased opinion," Peter pressed the alien. "Who is on the right side of the argument?" "I have no opinion on your morality," the eye darted back and forth. "You both know that I'm here to observe, not to judge." "Then tell us which side will finally prevail," Peter wouldn't let it drop. The Observer looked at Peter for nearly a minute before turning his attention to Cheryl. With the equivalent of a human shrug, the alien knew neither would let observations continue without an answer. "Enacting the Life law will bring back the Choice law," the Observer stated. "Now, I wish to visit...." "I'm afraid our over-sized brains will need some more explanation," Cheryl leaned nearer to the Observer, and Peter duplicated her motion. "The Life laws are meant to prevent the Choice laws, right?" The Observer tapped his appendages on the arms of the chair in an impatient drum roll. "I'll start with the origin of this sensitive issue. When abortion became legal with the Roe v. Wade decision, abortions became commonplace among the women of your race. For many years after the decision, the issue remained active, but Roe v. Wade was in no danger of being overturned. Yet, your political climate changed and a conservative court made abortion illegal. Since then, the Choice laws have been brought back and today, have been taken away again. One needs only look at the nature of the laws to see the reason." "We know the fight has been going on for a long time," Peter conceded. "But this time the Life law will stick." "For a time," the Observer continued. "You have the constant of democracy to let the laws change public opinion. When abortion became legal, those who supported Choice used legal abortions while the more conservative Life supporters did not. Over a generation, the very law allowing abortion depleted those who would support Choice. The conservative's children, who had become voters and thus had a voice in your government, used their greater numbers to vote in more conservative presidents and senators. Conservative presidents appointed conservative justices, and the abortion position eroded. When the Life laws made abortion illegal, most of the young women obeyed the law. This forced those who would normally have chosen abortion to bear children. Again, over the years, the domination of conservatives would weaken because the numbers of children from Choice supporters will increase. This would bring back the Choice laws." Cheryl and Peter exchanged surprised looks. "In the democracy," the Observer twined its appendages, "the majority rules. Every 30 years, your laws create the majority."