The testimony paints a picture worse than any horror movie plot:

-An abortion clinic infested with rats and smelling of cat urine, its basement filled with bags full of biohazardous material.

-A doctor, Kermit Gosnell, who allegedly illegally performed third trimester abortions, and allegedly cut infants' spinal cords with scissors if they were alive when he extracted them.

-Drains clogged with tiny body parts.

-Dirty operating equipment that wasn't washed between procedures.

-A patient who died after an overdose of anesthetic.

It's the kind of trial that reads like front page news -- but even though it's been going on now for five weeks, mainstream media has just now begun covering it.

And many are asking why.

Nobody likes getting sued. But folks at an Ohio medical clinic tied up in a malpractice lawsuit over a botched abortion that resulted in a mom giving birth to a healthy baby have caught a lucky break. Well, it's better than facing a wrongful death lawsuit, isn't it?

Bringing up abortion in America is a tricky thing. You can easily be dragged down into a policy debate about the right to life. Some will surely cheer that an abortion didn't work, that a child was born despite a woman exercising her right to choose. But in the case of Ariel Knights and her fight against the Akron Women’s Medical Group, the life on the line was the mother's.

Politicians in Florida are currently debating whether or not to pass the Infants Born Alive Act, which would require that physicians give medical attention to children born alive after a botched abortion.

Since Planned Parenthood has a dog in the abortion fight, they sent along Alisa Laport Snow, a lobbyist representing the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, to testify on behalf of the organization. Ms. Snow stated several times that they believe that the decision to end the life of a child born alive should be left to the woman, her family, and her physician. 

"I wish we could all just put down our picket signs and talk to each other." That's the plea of one woman who bravely told the story of her abortion. To mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, CNN's iReport invited women to tell their abortion stories. What resulted was a flood of devastatingly emotional and complicated personal stories.

"Right" or "wrong," abortion is something women do. And however you feel about abortion, you cannot walk away from these stories without feeling the profound impact it's had on these women's lives. What looms larger than what led to their decisions is what happens after, whether it's torment, regret, relief, or redemption. We've found four videos with different perspectives. All four of these stories gave me chills. Take a look -- and maybe share with a friend or family member.

Rumors have been flying that Elisabeth Hasselbeck has not been asked to return to ABC’s The View next season due to her scary right-wing ideas like life beginning at conception. Us Weekly reported last week that the conservative commentator did not have her contract renewed for next year after polling showed that viewers thought her to be “too extreme.”

But then on Monday’s show, Barbara Walters walked in arm-in-arm with the 35-year-old mom of three and announced that she isn’t going anywhere. “The truth is, we love Elisabeth … beyond that we value and appreciate her point of view,” she said. “It’s important to us because Elisabeth helps give the show perspective and balance … we have no plans for Elisabeth to leave the show.”

When it comes to abortion laws, there's absolutely no consensus on what we all as Americans feel is appropriate. But in Arkansas this week, state lawmakers have decided they know what's best -- passing a law that prohibits abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy, which is when a fetal heartbeat can typically be detected by an abdominal ultrasound. Even after Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, called it "blatantly unconstitutional" and vetoed it. Now the state has what will be by far the country's most restrictive ban on abortion.

To be fair, it's a very hazy issue on which even people who consider themselves pro-choice find themselves grappling with. When should it simply be just too late to terminate a pregnancy? I'd argue that 12 weeks is far too early. Fetal heartbeat or not, there is a need for abortions to be legal that "late in the game."

We've all heard the happy stories about surrogacy -- just look at thrilled parents Giuliana and Bill Rancic! Who doesn't love their story? But what happens when a surrogate pregnancy goes wrong?

One couple found out the hard way, and ended up offering their surrogate an extra $10,000 to terminate a pregnancy they believed would cause a life of misery and suffering to the baby she was carrying on their behalf. She refused. Was she wrong? Were the parents wrong to ask her to terminate in the first place? It's a tough situation, but I believe the decision lies with the baby's parents, and in this case, that didn't include the woman carrying that baby.

Is it me, or does this country seem like it's on a crazy, runaway anti-abortion train? I think we all have deeply ambivalent feelings about abortion. None of us are cheering, "YAY! ABORTIONS FOR EVERYONE! WOO!" But at the same time, there still seems to be support for the right to have an abortion under certain circumstances. Meanwhile, some legislators are trying to literally END abortion forever and ever. What a relief, then, to find out that Arkansas governor Mike Beebe is trying to stop the crazy train, at least in his state. He just vetoed a bill that would ban abortion after 12 weeks.

If passed, this bill would become the strictest abortion law on the books. Beebe says it's unconstitutional. But he may lose this fight -- he vetoed another bill banning abortion after 20 weeks, and the Arkansas legislature overrode his veto.