> What I don't understand is why people are against
>abortion if they also think it should be legal.
>Why's it a bad thing if fetuses aren't human?

For me, it's the unknowing itself that makes me personally against abortion but wishing to keep it legal at the same time.

Similar to you, I'm convinced that life doesn't start immediately at conception, but that it most probably does start sometime before birth. I'm convinced there *is* a period in the early part of the pregnancy where it is perfectly ok to abort the fetus, because it's not "human" yet. On those grounds, I think at least early abortions are ok and should remain legal. However, for myself, the not knowing part is what would keep me from ever wanting my hypothetical knocked-up partner from getting one. I might say in my head "It's only been four weeks, the fetus is still just a blob of cells, it's ok to abort." But the fact that I'm not 100% sure about it would keep me from wanting to go ahead with it. I think it's a decision other people should be allowed to make, but I don't think I could make it.

However, I am fully convinced that at some point before birth the fetus becomes a viable human life. At that point, clearly abortion is murder. When does that happen? I don't know. I'm pretty sure nobody knows. If we knew, the abortion issue would already be settled, pretty much. Because of this, I'm not a militant "ALL ABORTION SHOULD BE LEGAL" type. I'm cool with making third trimester abortions illegal, for a start.

In the absence of a test that would come out "human" or "blob of unthinking cells", I wouldn't be able to make the decision to abort. However, I think others should be allowed that decision within reason.

Interestingly, I remember reading once that the Puritans, whom everyone always assumes were the most insanely moral people ever, allowed abortion up until the fetus "quickened", or started to move around in the womb. This usually happens within 18 to 24 weeks, which is the second 2/3rds of the second trimester.

-- Dave