Americans differentiate between ethics and morality.
They see ethics as following the laws people have made for themselves by democratic means. Such laws are by the people and for the people, and can be changed by the people. They are also enforced by the people, and we seek that if anyone violates them, then the punishment should be the same for all.
Morality is seen as much more nebulous. While for many it is just as certain, for many it has no certainty at all. It is often seen as “the will of heaven”, which cannot be altered by men and is unchanging. It is a function of faith and religion, and its particulars are not shared between people of faith, religions, or even sects within the same religion.
Based on this difference, Americans are more comfortable with a politician they believe is ethical, in that he follows the written law, than one who claims to be moral. This is because they don’t know what he means when he says he is moral. The morality of someone who goes to your church, or the morality of a Wahabbi Muslim?
Liberal-leftist politicians often claim they are moral, even when though they are Catholic, they vote against what the Catholic church teaches. Implied is that they think their personal morality is better than that of their church.
So how does this relate to the abortion issue?
Well, the governor is right that it is a moral issue. But that is not enough for some of us to impose our morality on others. It is more important that it is also an ethical issue, again, like slavery.
Slavery was immoral, but it was also unethical, because it did not recognize that slaves were men too, equal to everyone else in the social contract that is the basis of our laws and ethical society.
The same applies to abortion. Claiming abortion is immoral, while felt in much of the country, neglects that vast parts of the country that feel it is perfectly moral. But ethically, it is unjust, like slavery, because it takes away the rights of the unborn on the pretense that they are not human.
So while the governor can declare against abortion as an immoral act, his stronger argument is that it is an unethical act. As much as a law that said some people could be killed at random for no reason. Or that said that some people could be enslaved.
Not here or now but it would be interesting to read your comments concerning illegal immigration and legal immigration using the same logic and analysis.
There is a movement to allow guest workers into America who will never become citizens because we need the work done. How is this different from slavery other than the person comes to America voluntarily? Would we not be creating an underclass of people for their labor just as happened to blacks in the USA prior to the Civil War?