As a foreigner, my understanding is somewhat limited about the turns this has taken in the U.S., but all the reading I have done suggests that the debate is not about partial birth abortions per se, but about using this as a tactical wedge to rollback all forms of abortion, since it is obviously gruesome and at the extreme end of the spectrum of what constitutes a "lifeform/baby/fetus", thus causing discomfort to all, even pro-choice supporters. The argument slips from: well, if you are against this, then the principle is established that abortion is a form of murder, and so on. This seems to me to be a familiar strategy for people in situations of various kinds who have found the main arguments to be ineffective -- in this case, either the soul is infused at the moment of conception, or that early fetuses are fully human. I am not judging the case: I am simply noting the argumentative strategy that goes for the toughest case, and then extrapolates backwards to cast doubt on the rest of the issue.

yours, Peter T.