Background:

There is a consensus in North America that a human ovum and spermatozoon are types of human life; most people consider them to be alive. and they contain human DNA. There is also a general agreement that neither is a actual human person.

There is a lack of consensus in North America about when -- between conception and childbirth -- human life becomes an actual person who is entitled to legal rights including the right to not be killed. This lack of consensus has led to a deep division in the U.S. and Canada between the pro-life and pro-choice movements.  The former generally believe that the transition from human life to human person happens at conception. Pro-choicers generally believe that it happens later; some suggest it happens at childbirth.

The main activities of the pro-life movement has concentrated on restricting abortion as much as is legally possible without violating the Roe v. Wade decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973. Meanwhile, the pro-choice movement focused their effort on making a woman's choice to have an abortion available throughout pregnancy.

About the year 2006, a new emphasis surfaced. It is a desire to minimize unwanted pregnancies and thus eliminate the need for many or most abortions. This is a goal that many pro-lifers and pro-choicers can enthusiastically embrace. Many countries in Europe have successfully lowered their rate to levels far less than those in the U.S.  Unfortunately, the methods that they used may prove to be deeply offensive and unacceptable to many in the North American pro-life movement.

The 2008 presidential elections showed a clear difference between the platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties:

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