Viewing the Abortion Issue In the Color Gray Can Be Discomforting

The abortion debate is an ongoing discussion in this Presidential campaign.   

One camp says the mother has reproductive rights and can choose to terminate her pregnancy at any time within the guidelines of the state she resides in. 

The other camp says the fetus is a human being and under no conditions can be aborted unless in the case of incest or the health of the mother is threatened.  And there are many people in that camp who would argue under no circumstances can the fetus be aborted. 

There are some of us who actually agree to a certain extent with both sides.

The human fetus, even when in the earliest stages of development, is not a rabbit or some other critter.   When an abortion is performed a human life is terminated.  Allegedly, the fetus should not be able to survive outside the mother's womb.

The dilemma for many of us is how can we justify telling  a woman she will have to carry the fetus to full term and therefore she has absolutely no control over her body.

So with some reluctance I am a pro-choice advocate.  Should I meet a woman contemplating the termination of her pregnancy, I would counsel her to reconsider and not end the human life.   However, that does not mean I would stand outside a clinic making her change her decision by shaming her for the difficult choice she is about to make.

What most woman of all ages and religious beliefs  should know, there are some very effective pills to induce a miscarriage  when the embryo is but a cluster of cells.  Access to these pills  should not be difficult for the woman to obtain. 

Recently, Hillary Clinton emphasized an unborn fetus has no constitutional rights.   That is of course a very alarming thought to think about.   

Taking it to the extreme, that would mean a fetus can actually be aborted whenever the mother and her doctor decide because the fetus (baby) has no rights and its humanity is recognized until it is born.

I have to applaud those who have taken a stance on the issues of pro-life or pro-choice and can stake their positions in black and white terms with no compromise.   

Unfortunately,  there are many of us who see both sides of the arguments and do not have the good fortune of seeing the discussion as being just a black or white issue.   We tend to see the issue in the color gray and that is often times very uncomfortable.