When it comes to moral values, the United States of America is anything but united. The ongoing culture wars have once again erupted over abortion—the "A" word that refuses to go away. Thirty-three years after the landmark Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1973 that made abortion legal, Americans remain deeply divided over this intensely personal, emotional, and gruesome practice.

The uneasy truce between abortion supporters and opponents broke wide open on February 22 when the highest court agreed to decide whether Congress can outlaw partial-birth abortions—a practice in which the skulls of partially born babies are crushed. In agreeing to hear the appeal of Gonzales v. Carhart, the high court will be considering a lower court ruling that declared the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 unconstitutional. This congressional law has been struck down by three federal appeals courts and has yet to take effect (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/22/AR2006022202424.html).

On the same day the Supreme Court announced that it would review Gonzales v. Carhart, South Dakota lawmakers "approved the nation's most far-reaching ban on abortion, setting the stage for new legal challenges that its supporters say they hope lead to an overturning of Roe v. Wade. The measure, which passed the state Senate 23 to 12, makes it a felony for doctors to perform any abortion, except to save the life of a pregnant woman." Other states, including Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky, are also considering measures restricting abortions (ibid.).

With two new appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court, conservative lawmakers in many states believe the time is now opportune to challenge current abortion laws. Their hope is that the new appointees will tip the divided court in their direction.

While such news is encouraging to those of us who understand that life begins at conception, we shouldn't get our hopes up that the gruesome practice of abortion will soon come to an end. Recent events reflect a challenge over not whether abortion will be legal but under what circumstances.

After decades of intense battle in which abortion proponents (who prefer to call themselves the more psychologically pleasing term "Pro Choice") have touted their position as the one respecting a woman's right to choose and a woman's health, the majority of the American public—including women—have not fully accepted this reasoning. On the other side, those opposing abortion (who call themselves the psychologically pleasing term "Pro Life") haven't managed to capture a majority either.

Both sides are striving to capture the hearts and minds of Americans who are both uneasy with abortion and uneasy with a governmental ban against it. Many are sympathetic to cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is concerned. But when it comes to simply the choice of the mother as to whether to have a baby or not after having had consensual sex—which is the case in the clear majority of abortions—everyone knows that the mother had a choice from the very beginning. And what choice does the baby have? As advancements in knowledge continue to reveal that fetuses are genuine humans—not just inanimate blobs of flesh that only become human when the mother so designates them—these same Americans are also uneasy with abortion as a method of birth control. The bottom line is that a significantly large group wants abortion to be legal but rare.

Based upon this reasoning, some predict the upcoming battles over abortion will lead to a ban on partial-birth abortions and stricter laws governing all abortions in order to lessen the number performed. Both sides in this ongoing debate understand that the side that captures the legal-but-rare advocates will have the best chance to create a majority that will control future legislation.

In reflecting upon these conditions, many realize that human beings and governments alike have great difficulty making moral decisions. Today's reality is that we are stuck with difficult choices in an imperfect world because all of us humans are imperfect ourselves.

For a refreshing solution to the "A" word, read about the progressive legislation and practices that will eventually render abortion obsolete. Simply request, download or read online our free booklets: The Ten Commandments and Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension.