Actually, it is all about killing babies.
In my opinion we diverge here. You consider a combined sperm and ova a "person" and I think that is just ridiculous.
2 cells is not a human being. 2000 cells is not a human being 2 million cells is not a human being. Simply having your own particular and unique DNA does not magically transform you into a human being.
The majority of us equate "sentience" with being human. And we draw the line at "being human" when the fetus has all the individual components associated with the potential for sentience. Brain, heart, lungs, etc.
Until then, the mother has the ultimate say in the fetus.
Prove what you think of a baby qualifies as "a baby". While you're at it, look up the definition of murder.
I find this is the crux of the argument and issue.
One day, medical science will reach the point where they can take a miscarried fetus at 2 weeks development, put it into a special chamber and develop it into a full human being. When we reach that point would a couple be morally obligated to take their miscarried fetus at 2 weeks development to a special facility where the couple puts the miscarriage in the special chamber to incubate. And oh, by the way, the cost of this treatment will be 10 years worth of salary of both parents.
Another problem I have with the abortion argument is this notion that the rights of the fetus magically supercede the rights of the woman carrying the fetus.
Do you honestly not know what a human being is? I'm serious. Can you give me an example of a being that one man might call "a human being" whereas you would say "no" that is not a human being?
This argument you are trying to present is one that views human life as sacrosanct-- that human life is such a sacred and precious thing that even a smattering of a dozen cells should be granted the full status of personhood / humanhood.
I reject that argument. People die by the millions every single day. We make decisions every day that result in irreparable harm to our fellow man. When someone is in a car accident and is brain dead with 0% chance of recovery, we as a society feel that that life is over and the vast majority of us see it as our duty to pull the plug.
If what you argued where true, if you honestly believed that human life is sacrosanct to the point of even disregarding the life of another human being (i.e. the mother), then how is it you have any excess money? Why doesn't every thing you own go to charity to help other human beings live?
I'm being serious.
The reality is that we rank order every aspect of everyday life and that human life isn't some super sacred thing. Not to say we don't value human life, sure we do. However, we start at a practical level and that level is more or less sentience.
Yes, a fetus at 2 weeks has the potential to become a fully fledged human being. But it is not. It is a parasite that must feed off of its surrogate for 6 to 9 months.
I will admit, at 6 months I do view the fetus as a baby and abortions that occur at 6 months does feel like murder to me, but even then I still yield to the mother's right because it is her body. THat is definitely that uncomfortable gray area...
That is another problem I have with the abortion argument, the prolife side has this simplistic view, good and evil, right or wrong, as if this is a trivial choice and easy to see. And it is not. Real life is not so simple. And there are "real" considerations that every woman must accept.
Ultimately, I think we are conflating the argument between religious views, moral views, and living in a secular society.
We live in a secular society for good reason, simply read your history text and you will see that living in a non-secular society was not so good for the populace. We also live in a "free" society. Put the two together and you simply can't impose your religious views on the populace no matter how much you might like to.
SO no, no meeting of the minds. Without a brain and internal organs, I just dont' see it as a full human being, and thus, I feel the mother has the right and authority to make any decision she sees fit for whatever reason she may have.