Pro-reproductive rights

My wife and I coach womens Gymnastics and some of my high school /college aged students were disucussing pro-choice VS pro-life during their cooldown/stretch time (at the end of workout). After a short while I managed to steer the conversation into the relatively safer grounds of how politicians use this issue to divide communities (generally I like for the girls to be able to discuss openly anything on their minds, but I also need them to work together as a team and didn't want to let them divide themselves on over an issue which has nothing to do with the purpose that they were there for. Although I know most of them were on the same page on the issue I didn't really feel like the gym was the proper place to discuss it.).

This conversation made me really sit down and think about abortion for the first time since my wife and I got pregnant (we're due any day now with twin boys TYVM)

Personally I always considered myself pro-choice, simply out of pragmatics (I feel that women with unwanted pregnancies are going to attempt to get abortions wether their available leagally or not, the best we can do is try to keep them safe.). Under the current conditions of our society, and a general concern for the young women I know and love and teach, I still stand by that opinion. However watching my sons grow inside my wife has really given me a different perspective on the issue and I can understand where pro-lifers are coming from. I was in love with, and excited/afraid for my boys from the moment I first found they were on their way into the world.

So here's what I'm wondering, I personally would support making abortion illeagale (with exceptions for rape and/or incest) IF and only IF ALL effective birth control were made available privately to every individual through public funding (I know that some forms of birth control are already available to the qualifying poor, but as most of you women out there know it is often not the most effective (condoms) or may have nasty side effects). Effectually, as a national community, trying to circumvent the pregnancy to begin with, so abortions are not necessary. Giving every individual the opportunity to take control of his/her (I'd also like to see more effective male birth control) reproductive rights.

I know some people will reject this for religious reasons (the "spilled seed" argument for christians or the "every sperm is a good sperm" argument for those of you who worship Monty Python :wink: ), and that's ok. I wouldn't want to see this mandated for everyone. And I also realize that a lot of people belive that if you don't want to have a baby you simply shouldn't have sex. But lets face it, That isn't going to solve the problem of unwanted pregnancy or abortion.

Lastly please no rants about how Liberals just want to spend and spend and spend every penny on people who can't take responsibility for themselves or their actions. The argument here is about abortion/reproductive rights, not about how high your taxes are.