@david f
"As long as she is pregnant the foetus is part of her body."
Wrong, the unborn baby is separate from the mother: http://academic.wsc.edu/mathsci/hammer_m/separate.htm

"However, it sure looks to me as though the Christian mumbojumbo incorporates a lot of the pre-Christian mumojumbo."
It sure looks to me as though the Apollo moon landing story incorporates a lot of pre-existing fictional stories.

"I don’t think anyone logically takes up a religion."
Not sure exactly what you mean by 'logically' but this is a person who converted to Christianity via philosophic thinking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Karin_Monsen

"..but I think none of the accounts of miracles really happened."
What you think doesn't matter. It happened historically.

"I also think that even if he existed we cannot be certain about the facts of his life."
I don't think we can be certain about the facts of your life.

@Suseonline
"Why are you so concerned about women having abortions anyway? Isn't it enough that you and yours can choose not to have an abortion?"
If you oppose female genital mutilation, then don't harm your female genitals. It is none of your business however to tell other people, groups and cultures what they should do or not do to female genitals, particularly if they find it acceptable. Mind your own business.
If you oppose honour killings of women, then don't kill women. It is none of your business however to tell other people, groups and cultures that they musn't do honour killings, particularly if they find it acceptable. Mind your own business.

Rubbish RMW.
The practices you talk about are illegal in this country, so of course it is everyone's business if a crime has occurred.

Abortion is legal, and will remain so.
Pro life people should put all their considerable fervour into supporting new and improved methods of contraception, so women can avoid unwanted pregnancies.

To make sure of unwanted pregnancies, men should always wear condoms, unless both partners want a baby.

No one likes abortion, and I hope one day that no one needs to have one, but until then, it is a private matter.

suseonline

If you want to understand why pro-life people want to prevent abortions it is to save the lives of babies. Many members are religious and are motivated by religious beliefs but also want to save babies. That is what the debates and protests are all about. They also want to prevent women suffering the after effects and health problems from abortion. Some pro-life organizations go to great lengths to prevent any religious paraphernalia appearing on their premises or at their protest rallies even if some members are motivated by religious beliefs.

@Suseonline

"The practices you talk about are illegal..."
Wasn't abortion also illegal?

"No one likes abortion, and I hope one day that no one needs to have one..."
In that case, why allow it? You evidently don't like female genital mutilations and honour killings and you don't want them to be legal.

There is a simple 100% effective way to avoid unwanted pregnancy: do not have sex in the first place. That goes for both guys and girls.

I would prefer that unwanted pregnancies never occur in the first place Gadfly.

Then we wouldn't have the multitude of problems that occur with unwanted children, adoptions and foster homes.

Either people use contraception if they don't want children, or they abstain from sex!
Many religious people don't want contraception available either though do they, so it's either abstinence or multiple pregnancies for them.

There will always be 'mistakes' though of course, and abortion should be safely available so we don't go back to the 'good ol' days' when women died after trying to abort themselves, or by non-medical abortions.

I think we will have to agree to disagree here Gadfly, although both of us would be happy if there were no abortions needed at all...