Re: Abortion. I'm very ambivalent on the issue, because I think both sides have a very good point, and I also think that neither side really listens to the other.
I was raised Catholic, so I grew up indoctrinated in the right to life philosophy, which I still largely agree with. And what people who try to use slogans like "my body, my choice" don't seem to acknowledge is that if you view the uterus as a living person, then that argument becomes completely irrelevant once the egg is fertilized.
That's the one side. I get it. But despite this, I can't align myself with that viewpoint. One, I think the main impulse for the pro-life stance is religious (though not for everyone, admittedly.) But more importantly, I realized that the behavior of those politicians who push a "pro-life agenda" isn't consistent with the actions of someone who is working to prevent abortion, but is instead consistent with those who wish to deny women control over their own sexuality and push for a regressive view of sexuality in general. The Sarah Palins of the world, who are against abortion, but are also against teaching teenagers about basic contraception, even though it's been proven to be a horrible strategy. We hold the woman accountable, but men are too easily allowed to get off without responsibility, and our society isn't exactly that supportive of single women who do get pregnant.
Funny thing is, the proponents of neither side like abortion. In fact, both sides seem to be hoping for a world where abortion doesn't exist. And given the choice between the two, I'd rather live in the pro-choice "ideal world without abortion" where it's been made irrelevant due to improvements in contraception and education as well as a more enlightened view of sexuality in general.