[ijdgaf]

I really don't like the idea of abortion.

Any time I ever discuss abortion with people who are pro-life, it inevitably becomes an emotional conversation on their side of the fence. It's not a pretty practice, and it's not something I like to think about. And ultimately, I would disagree with it on moral grounds if I was the father in a potential case of it.

Fetuses don't get graves. That was said for emotional effect, and I do sympathize. It's important for all you pro-lifers to remember that the people you're debating with aren't necessarily agreeing with this practice. Call it a case of the bystander effect if you will, but I for one, am not pulling any triggers.

Let me phrase my argument a little differently, and perhaps it will become more effective.

With such a high abortion rate, we have no business simply outlawing the practice right here and now.

Think of abortion as a huge bonfire. Do you stamp it out with your foot? No, that's a surefire way to get engulfed in flames. Instead, you wait for the fire to die out some. Then you can stamp it out with minimal damage to your shoe.

We have a high abortion rate. And I don't think making it illegal today is a great idea. Let's say tomorrow, laws are passed which illegalize abortion. What happens? A swell in the birthrate. Women all over the place with the unexpected duty of preparing to be a mother. Since the rate is so high at present, we'd have a messy situation on our hands for a while.

Wouldn't it be smarter to make this move more gradually? Do our best to reduce the abortion rate across all age ranges. Get these rates as low as possible. Then we can debate about whether or not abortion is right -- when the consequences of our making such a judgement won't be as severe as they would be right now.

What I'm saying is, our argument about abortion presently is premature. We should stop worrying about whether it's right or wrong, and start worrying about reducing it. Politicians bicker so much about preserving it or eliminating it, and the rate continues to grow. Abortion is not a problem we need to solve today. I think we can all agree that the rate at present is way too high. So let's take measures to reduce it.

And here, we get back to the contraception solution. Educate teenagers about contraception. These teenagers will feel better about it as adults. The more people use contraception, the less people will even have to think about abortion: yay or nay. We need to stamp this fire gradually, not all at once.

To those with a pro-life stance: once the abortion rate has been significantly reduced, I might very well be on your side. But until then, while I think your intentions are pure, your methods would be a mistake.