You nailed it! This is about culture more than politics. As Americans with a common culture, we generally agree that we want to make the country a better place, but we differ on how to do it.

Conservatives see the fetus as a seperate person, with full rights. That's where the conflict comes in. They don't view it as taking a right away from the mother. They think of themselves as protecting the right of the unborn.

I'm still neutral on abortion. I've mentally wrestled with the issue for years and I haven't reached a personal conclusion. Both sides make good arguments. My girlfriend is hard core pro-life. She had an abortion when she was 15(she's 40 now), and it fucked her mind up for years. She said she could feel the life being sucked out of her. Now she considers abortion to be murder.