Very well stated, Red. I couldn't agree more.
I have been exploring my thoughts on abortion ever since my sister in law freaked out when she realized I was a liberal. She had assumed that we had similar views on certain issues, and one of them was abortion. When I couldn't say that I believed it should be illegal she was... I guess the word would be -- disillusioned.
When I was young and naive I was firmly pro-choice. I didn't see anything wrong with abortion as I believed a fetus was just a mass of rapidly dividing cells without a soul until the moment it was born and took it's first breath. I'm not looking for a debate over that point, so just move along folks. Now that I'm older, wiser, and have had the experience of being pregnant I have a bit of a different view on the subject.
At this point I've asked myself a few simple questions. Does abortion kill a human being? Yes. Do I believe killing human beings is wrong. Yes. Do I believe abortion is wrong? Maybe. Do I feel that I should force my morals on somebody else who may not share my views? No. While I personally could never have an abortion, I fully support a woman's right to have one. Does that make me a hypocrite? Perhaps, but I'm okay with that.
Nearly every religion has some variation of the Golden Rule, and that is how I try to live my life. I think the world could be a much better place for everyone if more people walked their talk, but just like so many other things, too many people who call themselves devout *insert religious affiliation here* conveniently forget that one simple rule.