The majority of people I know are pro-choice. I am of mixed feelings... well, to be straight up, I believe a fetus is alive. Absolutely. And therefore, philosophically, I'm pro-life. But I also recognize the absolute difference in opinion people have on this topic... to distill it to phrases, one side believes it is a murder of convenience, whereas the other doesn't view a fetus as 'life' and therefore views the issue as moral tyranny of a woman's rights. This is a difficult bridge to cross, because both sides are debating different things. Anyone pro-choice doesn't believe they're defending murder, because they don't believe it to be murder. Not dissimilar, in my opinion, to those on the right who defend murder when the victim is labelled felon or terrorist.
Add to the pot another issue -I know it's hard for those who are firmly on the pro-life side to understand, but a decision to have sex does not necessarily mean a person is ready or willing to bring new life into the world. This will always be a problem, regardless of legality. As such, abortions will always happen, regardless... and there is an argument to be made that a woman should be able to have one done safely without fearing criminal proceedings. Thus, many pro-choicers listen to pro-lifers and simply hear a moralistic call to go back to the age of coathangers and backdoor abortions. Understandably, this upsets people just as much as abortions upset the people on the other side of the equation.
Now, despite the fact that pretty much everyone I know is pro-choice, that's not where I stand. I'm vegan, and don't even kill insects. I have always recognized that to be morally and ethically consistent, I would need to also be on the 'anti-abortion' side of the equation. However, in recognizing that those who are pro-choice don't agree with pro-lifers on the basic principle that a 1 month old fetus is alive, I think Ron Paul has the best solution out there - don't make it a Federal issue. Let states decide. It's far easier to leave a state, than to leave a nation.
This still scares those who are pro-choice, however. They think of the 15 year old girl, stuck in some small town in a 'anti-choice' state, and worry for them. This is no different, really, from those who mourn the aborted babies in states that will still allow abortion. People endlessly want to get up in everyone else's business, because they think they know better.
See, everyone thinks they're on the 'right' side of this. Everyone thinks they are the 'moral' ones, that they are on the side of what is right and good. And that's why conversation breaks down. People tend to talk at each other, not with each other.