My latest Pajama's column discusses abortion. Here's a snippet:

Those at the fringes of the abortion argument wish to make it simple. At the foundation of the ideological debate lies the civil rights of the unborn child versus the civil rights of the woman. Protect the life of the unborn (is it life?), or sacrifice the child's life in hopes of a better life for the mother. The current data shows approximately 10 percent of Americans support abortion under all circumstances and approximately 10 percent of Americans oppose abortion under all circumstances.

Most Americans hold a more nuanced view, balanced by the obvious conundrums imposed by abortion. Most Americans don't want to make a personal decision for another American, but most Americans also don't like the idea that a helpless victim gets killed due to irresponsibility. (That is, choosing to abort a baby for convenience -- or even worse, for gender -- makes people uncomfortable. In the latter case, it's nearly universally reviled -- 90 percent of Americans are against aborting to select for gender.)

Is there common ground? Go read the whole thing. You tell me.