When does the life energy ie "soul" occupy the container ie the body? Where once it was believed that tiny microscopic fully formed babies, were in the ejaculate. The Japanese count the 9 month human gestation in how thay calcuklate age. For me, a zygote, an embryo, a 30-50 day fetus is not a conscious entity. Our body & our mind is our most private of realms. Lest the government dictate forced term pregnancy we must protect Roe vs Wade tho it will be amended in the future as science outpaces law. Late term, as in post womb viability, will have to adjust accordingly. It is a difficult dilema with no one correct answer. As a nation which values individualality, we must respect a compromise. Renegotiating Roe v Wade will happen as states rights take the fore. Just as the government can not force a Jehova's Witness a transfusion, we can not force a term pregnancy in the early stages of cellulat devision.

I'm never quite sure what 'extremism' is? These days tend to think it's when an an idea or concept is a step too far for its intended recipient.
For example, not my circus not my monkeys but they should have some serious gun control in the U.S.. Living in the UK that doesn't seem an extreme idea but for a large section of the US population that's pretty extreme.
I personally think that personal wealth beyond a certain point is obscene and should not be allowed by a caring society when so many are living in deprivation or poverty. That's generally taken to be pretty extreme.
Abortion/birth control. In such an already over crowded world? In a world where the vast majority of child care falls to women and girls. It's a no brainer

I speak my mind, always, reflecting my observations, experience and research on many topics, and very much appreciate the same. Many, if not most political friends aren’t sure about me.. feeling as though, if you’re not with us on every subject, you’re not part of the team…

Most people react with gut level feelings; incapable of doing the research or too focused on other issues in life to have gathered their own facts, they parrot. The ..regressives are prime examples, mainly due to the moneyed media propaganda aimed at them, along with their narrow mindedness to begin with. All you’ll hear is ‘their party line,’ cuz that’s all they’ve got..

Seems the older you get, the more things you miss … one I miss a lot was ‘manning the booth’ for my prefered political party at a multitude of summer fairs within a regressive (meaning, they’d return to yesteryear at every opportunity) US county. Had our party chair marvel once, asking, “How’d you do that?” This wasn’t my answer, but it was by speaking with them, not at them, and finding common ground. The fears and concerns of some are generally shared by most, speak to those.

Another problem is complexity, some, with very limited educations, can only comfortably grasp soundbite slogans. I’ve listened to AM hate radio, though quickly tiring after hearing the same propaganda slogan repeated ad nauseum… But, come face to face with a regular listener, and they’ve got it down. It’s so much easier to confuse and incite than to educate.

So, after spending decades of watching every documentary or science program I could find ..if occasionally scanning the channels to see ‘what everyone else was watching,’ how can you expect to bring that majority up to speed on the history they’re so unaware of repeating? If you (attempt to) explain it, you’re ‘talking down to them.’ If they understand you, they’ve ‘been warned’ about people and ideas like yours.. At ‘the booth,’ sometimes 5 or 10 minutes of conversation would lead somewhere ...as 200 others walked by with no interest..

But, they all get to vote! And theirs will cancel yours.. Then you’ll get to explain to your children and the world why your nation’s doing this, or that … and how hard you worked to keep that from happening..

And the lack of political savvy.. Yes, every damn political wanna be presents themselves as ‘going to do this,’ ‘or that!’ ...knowing damn well, if they explained they’d ‘propose this,’ ‘or that’ -- and unless it gets through committee, is deemed legal, is presented to the entire chamber, passed; through the equivalent committee in another branch - sent to another floor vote & passed -- then sent on to the executive branch ..to possibly be struck down by the judicial branch … and most likely it’ll never happen ..and little changes - so people label politicians as “liers” - where do you start?

I love learning from people not belonging to a team. I may promote one, cuz I feel it’s right on 70% of the issues, but where they’re not - I speak up. They don’t like it, and we’ve had some very public knock-down drag-out ..discussions on several topics, but what gives anyone the right to promote something they don’t actually believe…

Good question, with potential answers enough to fill a good sized library

"let's be academic about this, no need to get emotional" he says from the safety of his wealthy male whiteness.

Isn't life most like a pendulum, it swings one way on social issues of the day and from out of no where, it swings in the other direction. Case in point, I never saw this trump thing coming! Yet somehow, I know we (not me personally) have been here before! Societies...?

Thank you for having the gonads to bring this up the way you did. It's such an emotional issue that it has indeed been difficult to discuss it without pushing buttons.

I see a number of things going on with the issue.

1. The zealous religious right oppose it because life is a gift from god and sacred.
2. The moderate religious right abhor the violence of dismembering a half-formed fetus.
3. The liberal left do not want the state to dictate what a woman can do with her body.
4. The militant feminine rights movement support abortion up to full term.
5. Philosophers make an argument that the fetus is not owned by the woman carrying it.
6. The moderates are agnostic about the issue, saying it's the woman's choice.

It all has to do with values, so from a nihilistic viewpoint, it's all moot. Nihilists also do not oppose the death penalty, and actually support a culling of the human race. Do we want to adopt their playbook? Our thoughts on that may evolve as we overpopulate earth.

Important point: this issue cannot be separated from euthanasia, as there are too many parallels. (They shoot horses, don't they? )

So, holy shit, without being on one side of the issue or the other, what we have is a minefield of opposing viewpoints. I guess whoever has the biggest stick (influentially) wins!

In the book "Freakonomics", the authors make a good case for abortion, in that it has dramatically reduced unwanted pregnancies in America, reducing street crime simply because of population control in low income urban centers across America. I'm good with that.

What is disjointed to me is the value society places on a baby moments after birth, but not moments before. They're basically just following the legal model, where "personhood" is ascribed after birth, but not before. Therefore before birth it's not murder; after birth it is.

I do think there is reasonable policy that government can implement to regulate the extremes from happening, cuz how I see it, like any other moral and ethical issue of such magnitude, there are reasonable AND unreasonable people, both wanting a voice. Anyone in any capacity as a guardian of society should only want what is best for the greater good. Just my opinion.

Some of that falls on the rest of us. 1/3 voted for this mess, 1/3 voted for the other mess, and 1/3 stayed home.