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I'm not even against abortion, I'm in the freakonomics and safe, legal and rare camps. But your is going to convince absolutely no one, because it's absurd. Almost everyone supports exceptions such as rape, incest and the health of the mother, including Trump.

First off, it appears that the Freakonomics leaders, Levitt and Dubner, have had to apologize for, and revise some of their Abortion related claims, which many others consider to be inherently resistant to any consensus solution...so I'm not all sympathetic to that line of discussion. Furthermore, as I've posted previously, at least one study shows that millions of women...at one point in time..., have stated during their reproductive lives they've been victims of forced or coerced pregnancies...I don't consider those 'rare' occurrences...nor do virtually ALL women who venture out at night or even in the daytime...alone. Yet there are too many anti abortion zealots...and too many in government...who want Total Bans on abortions...for any reason...to the point that recent state laws have terrorized Doctors and Nurses with threats of imprisonment and lost licenses into holding back care until it is 99.999% likely that the woman in need is likely to die without that abortion...and they reject the notion that millions of women are indeed subjected to life threatening and altering pregnancies they never wanted, thus leaving all of them without any recourse...save a Back Alley abortion.

We've been through all this before...up until Roe v Wake was decided it was pure chaos throughout the country...therefore, the women of America, and the men who sympathize with their plight, are never going to rest until that Law in reinstated...wherever women reside in this country.


But what we really ought to focus on is preventing unwanted pregnancies. Birth control is highly available everywhere, and there are a multitude of options that are free and or low-cost, safe and effective.

I've posted my choice for reducing the number of abortions, which parallel yours...a) Contraceptives being readily available to both women and men, even those at the poorest levels of income/wealth...b) Sex and Sexuality Education for all ages that teaches respect for others; facts about Reproduction and Child Raising...then c) Increased Funding for programs that make it possible for pregnant women considering abortion to reconsider and carry to term. Unfortunately, there are religious zealots who don't believe in Contraception...the "Just Say No" contingent which is largely Evangelical and even Catholic (although hardly anyone practices that 'guidance')...also, don't forget the chart I posted recently regarding the effectiveness of each Contraceptive Method...hint: there are LOTS of failures...even among committed couples...and quite a few who just could not endure another pregnancy...(i.e. 'Abortion' enters the conversation...like it or not)

The federalistic approach of leaving it up to the states is the most proper in my opinion. If you live in Alabama and your birth control method of choice is abortion, you should probably move. States like Vermont, New York and California will always permit abortion for any reason,.at any stage of the pregnancy.

Leaving the abortion to individual states was what led to Roe v Wade (read Laurence Tribe's "Abortion, the Clash of Absolutes")...it was pure chaos in this country until that decision was made...in practical terms that theory denies women to right to live and work in any state they wish without fear of what might happen should they encounter an Un-Wanted pregnancy. Surely you are aware that many women work in all kinds of business ventures, some large, some small...and some that are perfect for their skills and in turn, the employers needs...BUT they may not be in a state that has legalized abortion...that's what I would call "Restraint of Trade" for Women...not fair to them...and "Sexist", since Men don't have that concern.

But here's what I find really strange about you and your ilk, you wouldn't dare tell Muslims that forcing their women to wear burqas or mutilating the genitals of girls is wrong, i.e their religion is wrong but you have no problem chiding Catholics for following their religious beliefs and teachings as it relates to abortion. And that you do this, while claiming to be a Catholic yourself, is particularly hypocritical.

Both the Obama and Biden administrations have consistently advocated...strongly...for Women's Rights, not just domestically, but internationally...you'd be hard pressed to find even a fraction of such support coming from the GOP...I challenge you to rebut that statement...(but hope that you can). Nonetheless, it's important to understand that Islam is not a Homogeneous and Centralized Religion...e.g. compare and contrast Jordan with Iran's treatment of women when it comes to their choice of 'Dress'...again, I have a reading suggestion for you...it's entitled "No God, But God" by Reza Aslan...it's pretty close to a 'Primer' on Islam...could also be marketed as "Islam For Dummies" ;-)...Having read the book carefully, I would not call their religion "Wrong", since sects within it are very much like our Christian tenets/teachings...maybe even better...to get a sense of what i'm talking about, also go to your library and pickup "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson...would that all Christians and Catholics exhibited such an ethos as those Muslims.

As for myself, I'm not going to sit for a session on "Apologetics", especially with people who won't even enter a discussion centered on the only acknowledged PERSON in the Abortion debate...the WOMAN. As I keep repeating, I'm all-in on REDUCING the number of Abortions, everywhere...but not at the cost of Women's Rights and Justice. I'll also bring up the still existent 'Section #2309' of our Catholic Catechism, which deals with "Just Wars"...i.e. the sanctioned Killing of others in order to preserve their Freedom to live their lives as they see fit and not endure the repression of an outside force/government...the term used for arriving at a "Just War" decision involves a critical thinking process called "Prudential Judgement", which is stated at the end of that Catechism Section. I mention this, because it is a very hard decision to come to, and it parallels the equally difficult decision by women when it comes to totally Un-Wanted Pregnancies........One more thing......you've heard me mention Pope Francis' comment on the "Personhood" of a fetus...he hasn't explained why he said that, but he certainly did not choose to say that Personhood begins at Conception...he could easily have done so and stop all discussion on the matter...but he did not. I'll venture to say that he recognizes the very real need for Justice toward women with Un-Wanted pregnancies...and the lack, after 2,000 years, of any clear theology for circumstances like un-embedded fertilized eggs in the uterus...miscarriages...and still births..."Limbo" was an attempt, but that evaporated with nothing to follow...i.e. no grounding for "Personhood" of a fetus.

Here's hoping you find my responses helpful...let me know.