>Note also that the conception of a right to life that goes with T's view is strictly negative. By this I mean the view that the violinist/fetus has a right not to be killed, but no right to means to life -- your body -- at least unless you voluntarily or carelessly offer him those means. That is not a view that most leftists are comfortable with. Most of us think that others do have the right to means of life, and we are obliged to provide others with those means in the form of our labor and time. On the other hand, the right wing view that the fetus/violinist has a right to the means of life is harder for most right wingers to accept, since the right normally thinks that others do not have a right to have others provide them with the time and labor necessary to sustain them.
I'm not sure this gets to the heart of it. Just from a casual observation of the rabid anti-abortion types, it appears to me that most are coming from somewhere altogether more unpleasant. Here in Tasmania, the views of the anti-abortion fringe is probably represented by Senator Brian Harradine, who is overwhelmingly influenced by feudal Catholic morality, rather than capitalistic Protestant or Puritan ideology.
What illustrates this is Harradine's strong support over many years for the single parent's pension. From his point of view it is better to provide a pension to single mothers than it is to leave it to free market economics.
No, what these people seem to be about is opposition to *women's* right to choose. In other words it offends their patriarchal sensibilities rather than offending some notion that women (and men) who are breach sexual morality should be be responsible for the consequences. They just can't stand it that abortion gives women, rather than men, ultimate control of fertility. It totally undermines the patriarchal notions they are trying to defend against the modern world.
I'm not absolutely sure about this though. It isn't an issue I've taken a lot of notice of, or had any direct experience with, obviously.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas