Frequently, politicians are encouraged to "find common ground."  Some might say it is not commonly found. 

This appears especially so in the debate about abortion.  Some progressives are willing to advocate for legal post-birth termination of life beneath the penumbra of "abortion."  Some conservatives are willing to advocate for the extinction of legal abortion. 

One says, "Hot," the other, "Cold."  When this happens, there is no room for middle ground. 

However, there is one category of abortion that both sides should readily agree to oppose: abortions based on pre-natal diagnostic testing where the results show the presence of an abnormality. 

They reach agreement via different routes, but all roads lead to the same rock-solid conclusion. 

For conservatives, the road to the decision is more direct.  Abortion is bad; do not do it, whatever the reason. 

For Progressives (including Democrats and liberals), the road to the decision is a bit less direct, but the conclusion is no less certain. 

Critical Theory is a major plank in the platform of the Progressives.  In a nutshell, Critical Theory "argues that social problems stem more from social structures and cultural assumptions than from individuals.  It argues that ideology is the principal obstacle to human liberation." 

Critical Theory is a basket.  It is not one thing.  There are many Critical Theories — e.g., Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, Fat Studies, Disability Theory.  

Disability Theory questions the usual assumptions of disability that result in oppression of the disabled.  

Critical disability theory is rooted in a critique of traditional discourses and assumptions of disability which serve to oppress persons with disabilities and infringe on their human rights. The theory is built upon the argument that "disability is not fundamentally a question of medicine or health, nor is it just an issue of sensitivity and compassion; rather, it is a question of politics and power(lessness), power over, and power to". This perspective challenges able-bodied supremacy and the oppression that arises from restricting economic and social benefits to persons with disabilities which are then redistributed as privileges to be negotiated. Critical disability theory moves away from the individual pathology of disability (based on the biomedical model).

Ableism is a prejudice against the disabled. 

Ableism "is discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities and/or people who are perceived to be disabled. Ableism characterizes people as defined by their disabilities and inferior to the non-disabled. On this basis, people are assigned or denied certain perceived abilities, skills, or character orientations.  

There are stereotypes which are either associated with disability in general, or they are associated with specific impairments or chronic health conditions (for instance the presumption that all disabled people want to be cured, the presumption that wheelchair users also have an intellectual disability, or the presumption that blind people have some special form of insight). These stereotypes, in turn, serve as a justification for discriminatory practices, and reinforce discriminatory attitudes and behaviors toward people who are disabled. Labeling affects people when it limits their options for action or changes their identity.

In ableist societies, the disabled life is considered less worth living, or the disabled people less valuable, even sometimes expendable. The eugenics movement of the early 20^th century is considered an expression of widespread ableism."  

Prenatal testing is a way to diagnose abnormalities, including disabilities, before birth.

Ten-week fetus (Photo credit: drsuparna, CC BY-SA 2.0 license).

There are three purposes to prenatal diagnosis:  

(1) to enable timely medical or surgical treatment of a condition before or after birth, (2) to give the parents the chance to abort a fetus with the diagnosed condition, and (3) to give parents the chance to prepare psychologically, socially, financially, and medically for a baby with a health problem or disability, or for the likelihood of a stillbirth. Prior information about problems in pregnancy means that healthcare staff as well as parents can better prepare themselves for the delivery of a child with a health problem. For example, Down syndrome is associated with cardiac defects that may need intervention immediately upon birth.  

Of the three reasons to perform prenatal diagnostic testing, two are in preparation for a live birth.  The third is to prevent a disabled life from happening — i.e., abort it.  

It is this third reason where conservatives and Progressives should be in complete agreement opposing abortion.

Conservatives because abortion is bad.  Progressives because aborting a fetus with an abnormality manifests the prejudice of ableism and is in opposition to their embrace of Disability Theory. 

This is not a theoretical concern.  The results of the ableists ending the lives of fetuses and embryos, as a practical means of subjugating the disabled (by killing them), is seen in Iceland and Denmark (most prominently), where Down Syndrome has been nearly eliminated by abortion.  (See, also, this Atlantic article, "The Last Children of Down Syndrome.")

Once the two groups work together on this clear area of agreement, who knows what else might be possible? 

(In the foregoing, all uses of the words disabled, disability, and any variants are as terms of art and not as pejoratives.)