Jeremy Fugleberg

Abortion is none of my business. I’m the wrong gender for it to be a personal choice, and no one close to me is stuck trying to decide.

But I must have an opinion. The actions of both sides compel me to take a position.

Abortion is always wrong. There’s nothing nice, clean or trouble-free about it. I don’t care if it’s legal. It’s inherently tragic.

Does that mean I think it should be illegal? Absolutely not. I just grieve this has become a political issue – where deep moral questions and painful decisions can be easily wrapped up in a five-second sound bite.

Elizabeth, I wish I heard some heart in your indignation. While I do believe the Right’s hanging the “right-to-life,” I’m not sure they believe in quality of life.

The “pro-life” side is often just pro-birth, with scant attention paid to care after the fact. Apparently, cheap health care and effective social programs are too expensive for the Right’s big-tent businessmen.

But at the same time, the Left needs to come to terms with the fact that life probably doesn’t start when something sees the light of day. That’s far too simplistic.

Justin, how can you claim to be truly pro-life but not consider exactly when it probably starts? On the other hand, I never showed up to biology classes.

I swing to the Left here, only because I doubt abortions are the problem of the rich. And the Right is throwing too much money at a moral outrage without thinking through why abortions happen in the first place.

Both sides need to get off their bullhorns and figure out how to work together to make everyone’s lives better.

That doesn’t happen with graphic posters, coat hangers or indignant ranting.

And it certainly doesn’t happen at the ballot box or in court.