Why is there no real dialogue about abortion?

   When I read over a comment thread for a polarizing issue, I notice very little discussion. What dialogue I do hear is one sided, everyone stays on their side and shouts across the room . This has been going on since the first village council of our ancestors, I'm sure. But it needn't always be so!

   The most polarized issue before me is abortion. No one ever switched sides on this issue except when personal experience forces them to see things how they really are. Even then people usually jump to the other side rather than walk into the middle.

   But what topic is the issue really framed by? It's certainly not science, economics, or sociology, though people use these in their arguments. It is very simply about ethics, or more specifically: human rights.

   Human rights are always what the argument boils down to, woman v.s baby. The polarity come from each side defending the rights of one with no compromise. Abortion is either a right or a homicide.

   Some pro-choicers I have talked with will acknowledge that babies are people, but they make excuses to make their human rights contingent on the will of the mother.

   Some pro-lifers will admit that women who have abortions are not monsters, and may have valid reasons for making their choice.

   The middle ground is to say that women have full rights to their bodies and so do unborn babies. When there is a conflict of interest, abortion means someone will die. There may be situations where that is allowable. When would it be ok for a woman to end that life? The conversation must shift to specific circumstances where we can weigh the factors for and against.

   I think we could have a dialogue on this basis, what do you think?