Battery on my laptop died last night, and I didn't get a chance to join the discussion until now. First of all, may I congratulate each and every one of us for presenting our arguments in a rational and civil manner? I think that this is a sensitive issue, and that it could easily have slid into something ugly, and I am glad to see that it didn't.

First, to Part, you took my quote about Planned Parenthood completely out of context. Yes, they do offer abortions or abortion referrals as one aspect of their services. HOWEVER, the mission of the agency is to prevent (and forgive me if I'm repeating myself, but I obviously must) unplanned pregnancies through education and counseling. They also provide an array of gynecological medical services. And to those patients who are already pregnant, they offer an array of options, one of which is abortion.

As for abortions, I do not believe that they are a matter of convenience, and I disagree with anyone who treats them as such. They should not be a form of birth control. But since women can get pregnant against their will or desire, and since half of the divorced fathers in this country don't pay their child support, then I believe that abortion must continue to be an avenue for women.

As a rape survivor, which thankfully didn't result in a pregnancy, I feel that I can speak for the women out there who find it necessary to abort such a pregnancy. There are very few men who can understand the humiliation, shame and terror that goes hand in hand with such a crime. And those that do, still don't have to deal with the fact that they might be pregnant as the result of such an attack. To expect any woman, be it your wife, daughter, or a complete stranger, to carry and nurture the offspring of such a crime, and to allow your attacker parental rights, doesn't have a great deal of empathy or compassion, IMO. And since rape can be a difficult crime to prove, then I will support Roe v. Wade and do all in my power to keep it in place.