--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is much debate in this country over…" description: "\"“There is much debate in this country over abortion. I have always found it puzzling. There are the right-to-lifers who say that abortion is the equiva..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/christopher-pike-3399_abortion_there-is-much-debate-in-this-country-ove_1738949.png" --- # There is much debate in this country over abortion. I have… ![“There is much debate in this country over abortion. I have always found it puzzling. There are the right-to-lifers who say that abortion is the equivalent of murder. Then there are those who say a woman's right of free choice must be preserved. What has always struck me as odd is that each side is…” quote by Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/christopher-pike-3399_abortion_there-is-much-debate-in-this-country-ove_1738949.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/christopher-pike-3399_abortion_there-is-much-debate-in-this-country-ove_1738949.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/christopher-pike-3399_abortion_there-is-much-debate-in-this-country-ove_1738949.png) > ““There is much debate in this country over abortion. I have always found it puzzling. There are the right-to-lifers who say that abortion is the equivalent of murder. Then there are those who say a woman's right of free choice must be preserved. What has always struck me as odd is that each side is convinced that only it is right, and the other is wrong. I feel they are both wrong. No one should take away another person's right to choose. And no one should kill an unborn infant. Of course I could just as easily say both sides are right, but I won't. It's a paradox that can't be resolved. I think it is better to admit that than pretend there is a resolution.”” [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The debate frames abortion as a binary moral issue, but both extremes ignore nuanced rights and responsibilities. **In simple terms:** Both sides claim absolute truth, yet each is flawed. Key Takeaway Recognize complexity and seek balanced policies. Themes ethics politics reproductive rights polarization dialogue Mood thoughtful serious Type argumentative philosophical When to use this quote - legislative debate - public discourse - personal decision‑making - advocacy Key Concepts moral philosophy rights theory public policy conflict resolution Questions to Reflect On - What common ground can be found between opposing views? - How can society respect both autonomy and life? A Different Perspective Strong convictions may hinder compromise and mutual understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Abortion Equivalent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion-equivalent-1502200/) [Abortion Puzzling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion-puzzling-1502198/) [Country Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-abortion-1502201/) [Debate Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate-country-621304/) [Free choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-choice/) [Say Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-abortion-1502199/) ## Related quotes > [Let's start to have a grown up debate in this country about who we are and where we want to go and what kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/let-s-start-to-have-a-grown-up-debate-in-this-country-about-who-we-2/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [I think in our desire to create a better America,we have to have civilized debate in this country and not just yelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-think-in-our-desire-to-create-a-better-america-we-have-to-have/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [Let's start to have a grown up debate in this country about who we are and where we want to go and what kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/let-s-start-to-have-a-grown-up-debate-in-this-country-about-who-we/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [Most people say they're against abortion, but when it comes down to it, and they're actually in the position themselves, their option changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-say-they-re-against-abortion-but-when-it-comes-down-to-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People often say that abortion is a woman's choice, and they're right;they choose life the moment they have sex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preston-wagner/people-often-say-that-abortion-is-a-woman-s-choice-and-they-re-right/) [Preston Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preston-wagner/) > [I can honestly say that my abortion was one of the least difficult decisions of my life. I'm not being flippant when I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-can-honestly-say-that-my-abortion-was-one-of-the-least-difficult/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [If you want to get an audience quiet, just say "abortion" and everybody shuts up and the tension in the room is spectacular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/if-you-want-to-get-an-audience-quiet-just-say-abortion-and-everybody/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [They can say that abortion is alright. They can vote to sustain gay marriage. And that will take western civilization, indeed other nations because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-harris/they-can-say-that-abortion-is-alright-they-can-vote-to-sustain-gay/) [Katherine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-harris/) > [“nothing knee-jerk about their politics. Two out of three of them say that abortion is “always” or “usually” morally wrong. They are far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zogby/nothing-knee-jerk-about-their-politics-two-out-of-three-of-them-say/) [John Zogby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zogby/) > [For the church to say that abortion is not acceptable for a Catholic is fine. To say directly or indirectly that on something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leahy/for-the-church-to-say-that-abortion-is-not-acceptable-for-a-catholic/) [Patrick Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leahy/) > [“You see then, that Diatribe truly possesses a free choice in her handling of Scriptures, so that words of one and the same type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/you-see-then-that-diatribe-truly-possesses-a-free-choice-in-her/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [God's is the causality at the level of our being, and therefore the roots of our freedom. Ours in causality is determinative of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-george/god-s-is-the-causality-at-the-level-of-our-being-and-therefore-the/) [Francis George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-george/) > [Revisiting the Revolutionary War is a bracing reminder that the fate of a continent, and the shape of the modern world, turned on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/revisiting-the-revolutionary-war-is-a-bracing-reminder-that-the-fate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The so-called 'Employee Free Choice Act' envisions a world where workers would be denied privacy and forced to vote in an atmosphere of intimidation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-so-called-employee-free-choice-act-envisions-a-world-where/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [The dignity of man is in free choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/the-dignity-of-man-is-in-free-choice/) [Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/) ## More by Christopher Pike > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [In that moment, there was no place for doubt. I was sitting with the supreme being. I had always sat beside her. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/in-that-moment-there-was-no-place-for-doubt-i-was-sitting-with-the/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [Relationships are mysterious. We doubt the positive qualities in others,seldom the negative. You will say to your partner: do you really love me? Are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/relationships-are-mysterious-we-doubt-the-positive-qualities-in/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“Life is like that short visit on the road. Prayer is for those who wish to talk to God. Meditation is for those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/life-is-like-that-short-visit-on-the-road-prayer-is-for-those-who/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [No religion is perfect, not after man gets through with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/no-religion-is-perfect-not-after-man-gets-through-with-it/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“Victim: I don't want to die! Sita: Then you should never have been born”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/victim-i-don-t-want-to-die-sita-then-you-should-never-have-been-born/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [Enjoy your life. No curse hangs over you, nor did it ever. No devil chases after your soul. Sing and dance and be merry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/enjoy-your-life-no-curse-hangs-over-you-nor-did-it-ever-no-devil/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“we were here to become like God. To live like his blessed son. We just needed a few pints of Christ's blood to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/we-were-here-to-become-like-god-to-live-like-his-blessed-son-we-just/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [What you wish for, what you most hope for - that is your greatest illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/what-you-wish-for-what-you-most-hope-for-that-is-your-greatest/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [Sometimes, if I am not careful, and I stare too long at a flower, it shrivels and dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/sometimes-if-i-am-not-careful-and-i-stare-too-long-at-a-flower-it/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [He cries. 'Please! I don't want to die.' I lean over. My hair smothers him. 'Then you should never have been born,' I say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/he-cries-please-i-don-t-want-to-die-i-lean-over-my-hair-smothers-him/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“A person is limited by his conception of himself, nothing more. If you really knew who you were, you could stop the sun from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/a-person-is-limited-by-his-conception-of-himself-nothing-more-if-you/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [I am a vampire. Blood does not bother me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/i-am-a-vampire-blood-does-not-bother-me/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [Nothing is as it seems. Black can appear white when the light is blinding but white loses all luster at the faintest sign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/nothing-is-as-it-seems-black-can-appear-white-when-the-light-is/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [I would look up at the moon and see that it was not the smooth orb we had all believed, but a pitted and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/i-would-look-up-at-the-moon-and-see-that-it-was-not-the-smooth-orb-we/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) [Explore all 129 Christopher Pike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) ## More Abortion quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [Hey everyone, in case y'all didn't hear, I'm pregnat, and after discussing it w/ my family, I've decided to get an abortion, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-badesheim/hey-everyone-in-case-y-all-didn-t-hear-i-m-pregnat-and-after/) [Madison Badesheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-badesheim/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“David Bereit, Founder of Forty Days for Life, points out that any abortion clinic in America should have a sign in its window that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/david-bereit-founder-of-forty-days-for-life-points-out-that-any/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm a pro-life candidate because I believe that science is proving us right every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-m-a-pro-life-candidate-because-i-believe-that-science-is-proving-us/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion…has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-noticed-that-everyone-who-is-for-abortion-has-been-born/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) [Sonya Renee Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-renee-taylor/) > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I am 100 percent pro-life and have been my whole life. That means I am opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/i-am-100-percent-pro-life-and-have-been-my-whole-life-that-means-i-am/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/any-woman-should-have-the-right-to-a-safe-and-legal-abortion/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [“For Republicans, life begins at conception but ends at birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/for-republicans-life-begins-at-conception-but-ends-at-birth/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) [Browse all 1,629 Abortion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is much debate in this country over abortion. I have always found it puzzling. There are the right-to-lifers who say that abortion is the equivalent of murder. Then there are those who say a woman's right of free choice must be preserved. What has always struck me as odd is that each side is convinced that only it is right, and the other is wrong. I feel they are both wrong. No one should take away another person's right to choose. And no one should kill an unborn infant. Of course I could just as easily say both sides are right, but I won't. It's a paradox that can't be resolved. 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