(note: I haven't read all replies, and I think it's better not to reply to most that I have read)
I consider abortion a necessary evil. You can spin the situation how you want, but the bottom line is some people/couples simply aren't cut out to be parents. They don't have the money, time, space, maturity or any other means to properly raise a child. Birth control methods aren't perfect (unless you happen to hate sex), but I honestly don't see why those who find that out firsthand should be punished for that.
I know: "raising children" isn't often spoken about in terms of punishment, but a pregnancy (especially an unwanted one) can ruin careers and suck the quality right out of life. Ever since my brother became dad of two kids, for example, him and his girlfriend are in survival modus. They had to buy a larger house in a better environment (because "think of the kids"), which meant working longer hours to pay off the alimony and at the same time spend more time at home because children can just do something lethal if you look the other way for five seconds...and those were wanted children.
What I, curiously enough, haven't seen mentioned: unwanted children grow up to be unwanted adults. This is of course a bit of an exaggeration, but the general line is true. And that's not my opinion but a measured fact. In the early nineties, crime in the USA suddenly took a nosedive. Of course lots of theories for this good news were presented, but none were really plausible. That is, until
two guys pointed out that the decline in crime in the different states correlated nicely with the time period years before that abortion was legalized in these states. In other words: a lot of crimes never happened because the criminals were never born in the first place.
IMHO: that's the sort of perspective you should have on the topic: one that sees the society as a whole. In the ideal world, abortion can be made illegal because all the world's inhabitants have all the requirements needed to raise children. But as it stands, there's still plenty of things that prevent that utopia: many are either too poor in money in time to properly raise children with the caring, respect and maturity these children deserve.
It may be my own subjective bias, but I feel that most hardline anti-abortionists (or pro-life, so you will) are taking a rather dogmatic approach. I don't presume to convince them (threads like these are debates; not discussions), but I wonder...is my impression correct that the whole of your opinion is a strong gut feeling against abortion?
