There are many arguments about the issue, and that means that "sides" tend to be chosen and viewpoints magnified. Those who are pro-abortion will say that abortion is "impossible to eliminate. If abortion is made illegal, illegal clinics will spring up all over, many with unsanitary facilities, and poor treatment; women, we are told, will die" (Currie 50). Of course, what pro-abortionists are NOT saying is that, as a result of an abortion fetuses will die. Perhaps what the real argument has turned out to be is neither medical nor psychological, religious or moral, but political. "The abortion issue has put policymakers and citizens in myriad political and personal dilemmas because many people view abortion issue in moral or religious terms; others view it s a matter of personal liberty. Thus, to compro

O'Connor, Karen: No Neutral Ground? Abortion Politics in an Age of Absolutes Boulder CO: Westview Press (1996)

What all this fund-raising, and the attempt to turn evangelical Christians into a political force forgets about is the fundamental morality of abortion. It has been turned into a "cause", when what is really needed is some self-examination and a reliance on one's fundamental beliefs in the right to life. One can argue for eternity about when life begins. But, it might be wise to stop worrying about chronology, and worry instead about finding some means to extend that fetus' life and, hopefully, have it become a productive member of the world's society. "Most people assume the great, divisive abortion argument is at bottom an argument about a moral and metaphysical issue: whether an even just-fertilized embryo is already a human creature with rights and interests of its own"(Dworkin 30). As the author points out, the issues go far beyond merely conservative or liberal, politically or religiously. In this regard, the issue of separation of Church and State is often raised. It is difficult for some people to believe that their government has a right to legislate an issue that should be a moral and religious one- something that a person who either has or does not have faith, should decide. This issue is not necessarily a pro-abortion stance, but merely an examination of why there is an argument against legislation, even by many who are opposed to abortion. In other words, what these people are saying abortion is wrong, but there should not necessarily be a "legal" pronouncement about it.

mise concerning abortion goes against many individuals' firmly held religious, moral, or ideological beliefs" (O'Connor 3). However as O'Connor (1996) points out, the national debate and the anger of the opponents did not rea