Most Americans are very ambivalent about Abortion and women even more so. For them it is a very personal and painful decision they may have to make. No one is planning their future activities around having an abortion until you are faced with that decision. And it is a life altering one, certainly if you don't have one and potentially even if you do.
The issue is primarily about how you see the fetus/baby that is alive in their body. Men can share the philosophical and family repercussions but they cannot share the physical and emotional bonds that form.
Still whether you think abortion should be allowed is quite dependent on how you view the new life, as a fetus or as a baby.
Scientifically and legally it is not a baby (legal person) until it is born and has an independent existence. Changing that is the goal of some anti-Abortion activists.
If the fetus gets defined as a baby it creates some complicated situations and tricky legal gymnastics. What does the mother's obligation become pre-birth? If that is a person it would be entitled to legal protections and some legal rights. At what point does it become a dependent? What is you engage in behavior or lack of behavior that is harmful to it?
Most consider this path too intrusive on the woman who could face potential serious legal problems. Suppose the grown child sues the Mother for damages because of an activity she did that cause it damage? I guarantee lawyers could be found to pursue such a case.
At this time the states do not accept an obligation to protect or support the fetus/child before birth. If we mandate a pregnancy what sort of support should be provided? Can the mother be forced to raise the child she didn't want?
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