I think you are correct about the right vs. wrong framing of the debate. It is a topic with great nuance and wide disagreement.
To me, the bigger problem is to set of the debate as 2-sided. Some people want abortion totally criminalized. Some people want them available without restriction. Some people want parental consent. Some people want a mandatory waiting period. Some people want to get rid of the pill and Plan B (the morning after pill). Some people are pro-choice, but see abortion as morally wrong. Some people are pro-choice and see abortion in some cases as justified, but not in others. Some people are pro-choice and see abortion as justified without preconditions. There are many many many angles to this debate. I think framing it as a 2-sided issue stalls any chance of meaningful dialogue between people who disagree.
For example, I am very strongly pro-choice. My aunt is very strongly anti-choice. Most people would assume we can find no common ground. In calm and caring discussion, however, we can agree on many points of the debate. While I was not a huge fan of Obama's speech at Notre Dame, he made this point quite well.

by LadyFriend on 06/08/2009 02:53:10 PM EST

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