Richard Davis: On abortion, there is more that unites us than divides us

With the recent departure of Justice Anthony Kennedy from the US Supreme Court and the appointment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, it appears that abortion will soon be on the Supreme Court's roster. Abortion has been a subject of contention in American politics over the last 50 years, even before the 1973 Roe v. Wade. But the reality is that abortion unites us more than divides us.

The representation of this question or this requires the Americans to choose one of two camps: pro-choice or pro-life. A Gallup poll last year found that 48% of Americans considered themselves pro-choice, while 48% said they were pro-life. This would suggest a deeply divided nation that could never find common ground.

Yet reality is something very different. The proof is that most people do not take extreme positions on abortion. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2018, 25% of respondents said that abortion should be legal in all cases and 15% in all cases. But 56% (a majority) have taken a more moderate stance – saying it should be legal or illegal most of the time, but not all the time.

This more moderate view also applies to Utahns. A poll last June in Utah Policy found that only 11% of Utahns think abortion should be legal in all cases. This is perhaps not surprising since Utahns are generally socially conservative. But, more interestingly, only 8% agree with the view that abortion should be illegal in all cases. Eighty percent took a more moderate stance, stating that it should be legal or illegal in most cases, but not in all.

Most Americans understand that abortion is a complex issue that is not easily defined by simple labels such as "pro-choice" and "pro-life". They recognize that women have rights over their own bodies, but life is precious – even life is still in the womb. Sometimes these rights conflict with each other.

Unfortunately, as the debate warms up, the reaction of activists on both sides worsens. Everyone feels compelled to become more stern in their positions to counter his opponent. For example, the Alabama legislature has made no exception for abortion in recent legislation banning this practice. Other legislative bodies limit the decision of abortion to one that was taken before eight or even six weeks of pregnancy.

At the same time, a Democratic presidential candidate proposes that the issue of abortion be totally removed from the states. It supports national legislation that would make legal abortion throughout the country. Another promised in writing that she would appoint a Supreme Court judge who would maintain Roe.

The United Utah Party's position on abortion does not fit perfectly with an extreme camp. Instead, we are getting closer to the opinion of a majority of Americans. We recognize the sacredness of life. At the same time, we know that there must be exceptions to this position, such as circumstances taking into account the health of pregnant women.

We know that there are differences between believing that abortion should be primarily legal or primarily illegal. But the fact that most Americans, and in particular the Utahns, adopt one of these positions rather than a more extreme position gives hope for more common ground than the media coverage of the issue suggests. We seek this ground of understanding.

This is what we want also in our elected officials. We want them to approach this issue with an understanding of its complexity. We want them to avoid the temptation to adopt extremist positions and realize that most Americans do not have them either. We want them to realize that even on this issue, there is more reason to unite than to divide.

Richard Davis is president of the United Utah Party.