Your letter was thoughtful and interesting that you are pro life meaning against the death penalty and the Iraq war. In that you seem different than many pro-life people. I appreciate that.

I was raised in a "pro life" home and even taken to an abortion clinic to hold picket signs at age 8. I didn't get the whole issue until much later in life.

But a couple of things--one is that I notice that you write the letter and not your wife. Many women call themselves pro-life (at least in the church I grew up in) but they didn't talk about it a lot. Men, on the other hand, were far more vocal, and I will say, strident on the issue. I'm not calling you strident, but just suggesting that the emotional investment is not the same.

For example, if a person broke into my house and was threatening the lives of my family, I could shoot him right? This would be self defense, correct? And yet the so-called partial birth abortion bill that you mention was a bill with no consideration of my life. So if a stranger--a fetus broke into my body (ie through rape) I would not have the right to save my own life. This law seems threatening to my safety, and dangerous to my position as a human being.

Also, as far as killing viable fetuses--I can look up articles if you like and give evidence, but you are presenting something that is not correct. Obama is not for killing viable fetuses. He has spoken against exactly this. But he pointed out that such legislation, to save the life of a viable fetus is already on the books, and that this new law was aimed at restricting women's rights...and had--very importantly--no provision to save the life of the mother. Such legislation is an anathema to me, so I appreciate the fact that he voted against it.

But I say this as someone who once lived in a community where the abortion issue was the one issue they voted on in every election--that I believe you are being hoodwinked.

There are two possible ways to stop abortion: legal and social. The Republicans offer the legal solution--they have been offering it for years. The problem is that this legal solution will not work--unless the majority of voters support it. You can disagree with me--but I've thought about it a lot and the legal solution, while it sounds easy and alluring--I don't even believe that many Republicans want to legally take away abortion rights (or I hope they don't) because of the political battle that will definitely ensue. I, for one, will fight to the death for my right to protect myself from a fetus that inhabits my body against my will and could take my life away. You need to know--that I will never, ever back down on my legal right over my own body. Millions of other women--even if they may not say so now--millions of women feel the same way that I do. If you had a womb, I imagine that you might feel differently.

However--here is where we can have some agreement. The Democrats offer social solutions to abortion--ie Democrats are fighting for health care to cover birth control--and for all Americans to have the right to have health care. Under Bill Clinton, the number of abortions in the u.s. went down. Women had more economic power and more access to health care so they chose life....Under Bush the number of abortions increased. Why did they increase? If the Republicans are so good on this issue--I wonder--why did the number of abortions actually increase?

This issue has been a hoodwink for Republicans--I think.

But it's sad that there seems to be little common ground on this issue--and that many people as the ones I grew up with seem to think that the Democrats are evil murderers instead of recognizing that we just believe in the social solutions as being the most effective way to address the existence of abortion with the effect of abortions being less common--this is what everyone wants at the end of the day--am I wrong? Republicans who slash funds to social programs to women or to children, I have to say, also strike me as hypocritical on this issue. If Republicans want the number of abortions to go down, why not provide equal pay for equal work, health care to all, and more tax credits/help with child care for working mothers?

peace.