Abortion or birth control is a topic that is often used to easily divide politicians or political parties. Traditionally, liberals or Democrats have supported abortions either on demand or at later terms of pregnancy. Republicans and conservatives have traditionally been more likely to advocate for limited use of abortion. The pro-life position ranges from accepting abortions only in cases of rape or known harm to the mother or baby if carried full term; to some that would restrict abortion no matter what the circumstances. Between the pro-life and pro-choice positions, the animosity ranges from accusation of murdering babies to trying to control a woman's body. This topic, perhaps more than any has been used by politicians to embolden their base.
I've outlined the positions so that I can now tell the voter my position. First, we must decide 2 important issues:
- When does human life begin?
- Who has control over human life?
These questions are important because it used to be that pro-choice advocates would claim that it was always the woman's "choice" if she wanted to abort, but only while the baby was not able to survive outside the womb. This is the reason, the initial abortion laws only allowed a woman to get an abortion under 12 weeks (3 months). Different states allowed abortions at early stages of pregnancy and thus you would hear of women traveling to those states to get a "legal" abortion. In 1992, the criteria for allowing abortions went from a trimester basis to a "viability" basis. So, again the question stands; WHEN DOES HUMAN LIFE BEGIN?
