With nowhere to go in the voting booth.

Given the limitations of each party, it’s hard to blame pro-life progressives’ temptation to stay home and throw their hands up in frustration. Polls show that a sizeable number of pro-life Democrats voted for Bush in 2000, although few expect a repeat of that in 2004, given other issues such as the economy and the war in Iraq.

Most will have to make a compromise decision they can live with. “The perfect candidate doesn’t exist,” says Allio. “Therefore the best a [Christian] voter can do is become fully informed and make the best prudential judgment they can.”

Meanwhile, both the pro-life and pro-choice lobbies continue with their all-or-nothing rhetoric that further polarizes the debate—and politicians pander to their constituents on either side. “In an election year the abortion issue is used in such a targeted way to solidify one’s base, whether it’s pro-life or pro-choice,” says Allio. “That just doesn’t do justice to the problem.”

He and other pro-life progressives believe any solution must begin with finding some common ground between the two sides. Religious progressives who are pro-life are the perfect people to start that conversation, Allio believes, because they have solid pro-life credentials as well as contacts in the secular liberal community because of their work on other justice issues