I'd be willing to bet that I've been in more abortion debates than everyone else here combined. Every Libertarian convention I've been to - national, state, and local - at some point, the discussion turns to abortion. These discussions have more than once lasted throughout the night, and a couple times nearly came to blows. As far as I'm concerned, if I never get into another abortion debate again, it will be too damn soon.

The reason? In all the abortion discussions I've seen, not one person's mind has ever changed.

Let's consider a hypothetical situation: Imagine that the world's most brilliant scientific minds discover, without a doubt, that life begins at conception. The fetus can experience pain a half hour after conception, can solve simple algebraic equations at two weeks and complex linear equations at six weeks, can come up with a Universal Theory of relativity at twelve weeks, and can offer a foolproof plan for peace in the Middle East at fifteen weeks of gestation. Even if all this were true and can be proven, not one pro-choice person will change his mind.

Consider the opposite: The world's leading scientists discover that a fetus never feels pain, is not alive in any sense, and the world's leading theologians determine that a fetus does not even have a soul until five days after birth. Even if all this were true, not one person on the pro-life side will change his mind.

Just, trust me on this. you can't win an abortion debate, because the other person will never change his mind. And you will never lose an abortion debate, because you will never change your mind.

The debate is not about logic, or reason. it's about feelings, and people's feelings will not change.

We've taken the abortion plank completely out of the Oklahoma Libertarian party platform and, if I get my way, we'll take it out of the national platform as well. If a Libertarian candidate wants to state his opinion on the matter, he is free to do so, but it's useless for our party to even have a plank on it. Let the Democrats and Republicans debate it until they run out of breath, I would just as soon talk about something where I can actually make a difference.

That's my two cents. Feel free to flame away.

Onward and upward,
airforce