Abortion has long been the issue that divides Americans in truly irreconcilable ways. For opponents, it's infanticide. For supporters, it's about the autonomy of woman over her own body. For obvious reasons, it hasn't been a "hot button" issue for me, though I've been pro-choice my whole life.
Mostly, I'm sympathetic to the argument that those who demand that pregnancies be carried to term are simply demanding that women be vessels for childbearing. Almost invariably, those who oppose abortion also oppose meaningful sex education or support for birth control. Abortion isn't a first choice for birth control, it is - by definition - the last option. Ideally, both the information and education about sex and the financial means to support birth control options would be in place to reduce the need for abortions. That would seem to be a common ground. The fact that it hasn't become common ground is the tell.
Some of this is the fault of the Roman Catholic church's insistence that birth control is immoral. Given the moral quagmire on sexual issues that typifies the Catholic church, it's disappointing that a bunch of pedophile-defending old men can define this issue. But even if Francis were to reverse fully that decision, evangelicals in this country will likely cling to forced child birth.
If there was a way to make this issue "go away" through a meaningful compromise, that might improve aspects of our politics. But this is a legitimate difference in principles that can't be bridged.
Like so many other things in our country.
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