What is a theme or lesson from the book Unwind?

A theme or lesson from
Unwind is that all life is valuable.  Another theme is the meaning
of life itself.

In the story, a war has been
fought between the pro-life and pro-choice movements.  As a result, the Bill of Life has
been passed. The bill states that no fetuses can be aborted, but that after the child
turns thirteen the parents can choose to retroactively abort the child by having him or
her unwound.  The process of unwinding means that body parts are harvested and
transplanted into others.

Sometimes parents choose to
unwind their children because they are trouble makers. Ariana’s parents tell her that
they always knew Connor “would be an unwind” (p. 5).

Connor
wonders how he can call his parents’ house home, when he is about to be “evicted… from
the hearts of those who are supposed to love him” (p. 5). This explores the theme of why
Connor is not worthy to live, because he is a living thinking human
being.

The war that was fought over abortion was a war of
ideals.  The war’s (and the novel's) central issue was the same one we grapple with in
our society: what is life? Does life begin at conception, when there is no
consciousness? Is it murder to kill a person before he has a chance to become a person?
Does life begin when one is born, so that once a person is a person that person has a
right to live no matter what?

The conversation between the
colonel and Connor is relevant to the issue of what life means. Even though the war was
fought over the meaning of life, it is not that
simple.

You
see, a conflict always begins with an issue—a difference of opinion, an argument.  By
the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn’t matter anymore. (p.
222)

Since the Bill of Rights
was passed, unwinding is seen as a compromise. However, others feel that it is murder.
The ones who are pro-life now are the ones that do not want to abort the living
children.