Susan – Thank you for your story. None of us who are spared that experience can really know the answer to this debate.

McGrath of Harlow – Your book analogy is interesting but bear in mind it is a book missing a lot of pages. Essentially when you excise that bunch of cells you are eliminating a blank book with one or two lines written in it. You aren't destroying a manuscript. You are destroying a bunch of unmarked pages.

Troll, you wrote, "If my tax money is used to fund these abortions, then I, through my duly elected representatives, should have the right to give my input." OK, but do you have a problem with abortions for needy women? Or, do you have problems with paying for welfare for women who now have to have families. And then there are the special needs of the resultant children and the problems they create in a society already over stressed by such problems. That has to be paid for as well. So maybe a small expense without asking questions at one point is the better route to go.

"…when the Fed gets involved, the cost goes up…" This is something of which I have intimate knowledge and a number of answers. If anyone is curious PM me and we can discuss.

Kate – There is an interesting exercise in which I participated recently. It was a moderated meeting between our offices and a contractor we had hired. The moderator had us line up in order of years of experience. On one end of the line there were people with close to 45 years of construction experience and on the other end of the line were the kids fresh out of college. The moderator urged us to study this line. She pointed out that those of us with plenty of experience were valuable and should be respected for what we bring to the process. But, she went on to say, we also need to listen to and respect the other end of that line for the young inexperienced members of the team bring with them a fresh outlook and new ideas.

As you read through these threads you will see plenty of words that do not strike you as being respectful of you, may even seem to denigrate your contributions. Sometimes you will see closed minds, insults and harsh language. But when you look between these things you will see ideas and poetry that grow here like wildflowers in a field of weeds. There are roses to be found in here if you are patient enough to look for them.

So, yes Kate, please continue.

The real answer to the problem is not abortion but prevention. Unfortunately prevention is not always possible. As I have said elsewhere here we men have to get to the point where women have the right to choose in everything they do with their bodies. I don't believe that is a problem with present company. But there is a large number of men in this world who do not listen to women when they insist on the use of a condom or vasectomy or whatever. And there are women out there who do not understand how to manage their own birth control. When those men start listening to women, and when those women start to take their responsibility seriously, then the abortion problem will be solved. And at that time the hunters of this world will be shooting pigs on the wing!

Abortion is a problem which cannot be solved without changing society.