Let's sum it up. First, pro-lifers (which pro-choicers would say I am one) believe that abortion is murder because they believe the soul enters the body at conception. Since there is no way to prove the existence of the soul there's no way to prove when it enters the body. Science plays no part. This is all faith.
Pro-choicers (which pro-lifers would say I am one) say that noone is FOR abortion and that it is mostly done early or in extreme circumstances. They say, rightly, that abolition Roe v. Wade would lead to dangerous back alley abortions and that the wealthy would still be able to get theirs done on the sly. They also, rightly, say that the best way to reduce the number of abortions is with education, easily available contraception and available health care.
There seems to be a kind of abortion, or aborter, that everyone would like to see avoided even if part of it is mythical...that is abortion as birth control. Also, while there is no way to prove the existence of a soul there is some common sense point at which saying that the fetus is NOT a human becomes ludicrous. It has fingers and toes, brain function, feels pain, etc. My wife has been doing ultrasounds for 15 years so I asked her what point that was. She said 8 weeks.
My suggestion is to eliminate abortions after the end of the 1st trimester (12 weeks) unless the following can be shown: rape, incest, birth defect, threat to the health of the mother.
Yes, this alternative would be uncomfortable for pro-lifers and pro-choicers. It would also be prefereable to both groups than the other group's demands. I think both sides could live with this option and it would be for the common good.
Thoughts?