No one is ever going to persuade someone else on this subject.

Why bother discussing at all? What has changed about it?

I sooooo hate to see abortion talked about in a political context. It's a wedge issue which any politician who has the remotest clue about how the three branches of government work knows "solving" this thing is above his pay grade. The only reason they bring it up at all is to get people who don't know any better riled up.

If a politician at the state level or lower is bringing up abortion, either he's a cynical SOB who thinks you're a moron or he doesn't have enough of a grasp on the political process to be fit to serve.