To abortion opponents, the essential principle in both cases is life. From conception to natural death, our first duty is to defend it. But there's another, less obvious connection between the two issues. And, in both cases, much is lost in the translation. Nearly everyone agrees that abortion is morally troubling and that murderers should be punished.
Most people concede that some abortions ought to be forbidden and some murderers ought to die.
But it's quite another matter to sort out exactly when. People who support the death penalty in principle are getting cold feet about its application because they are coming to doubt that the government makes these decisions wisely. That kind of doubt is not a reason to support tougher abortion laws. It's a reason to oppose them. This practical caution about state enforcement of morality crosses ideological lines.