I started exploring views on various abortion positions today, but had a lot of other stuff to do, so barely got started.....but then I sat and watched the TV program "West Wing" about an imaginary presidental campaign, and wouldn't you lnow, they had an entire program showing how complex and awkward the issue is.

They have a Democrat who is Catholic and is against abortion, but believes in free choice - running against a Republican who is not even religious and ALSO pro-choice, but desperately needs the conservative vote and thus is trying to 'seem' like he will favor pro-life legislation...etc...etc... In the process of writing the script for this unlikely show, they managed at least to make my point that there are several levels of the discussion: (1)what do you actually BELIEVE about the basic issue...amd why! (2) what should be done socially and politically about the issue, no matter what you believe, and (3) How can we manage to keep the debate fair, honest and clear? That is, how can we be sure we understand the other side's real stance and respond without arguing past each other with shaky logic, skewed statistics, out-of-context quotes and cloudy, partisan rhetoric?

It seems to me that a lot of the problem is that many on both sides don't WANT clarity and fairness...they just want to 'win'...that is, get a stacked batch of judges and legislators and get THEIR position temporarily enacted into law in some sort of perversion of the idea or majority rule.

I, for one, am sick of the hypocracy, distortion and outright ignorance that fuels issues of this type. I may not always get all my facts straight, and I am no doubt influenced by some of my own history and culture..etc...but I DO approve of a bit of thinking and reasoning, rather than just rote reacting, when dealing with serious social issues.


*putting soapbox aside for now* I didn't START this post to rant...it just happened as my own indignation grabbed ahold of me...*wry grin*