The following is what a conceptual map might look like for a debate on abortion. This represents the view of one person, in practise it would represent the collaboration of many from all sides of the abortion debate.

It should start with a “floor plan” which shows the whole layout. The user can select any of the elements to reveal the underlying details.

The lower nodes would reveal a scale to represent the range of possibilities for fetus age, motivation for abortion and state control rights. If we map age of the fetus against the motivation for an abortion, we can map the space occupied by the various camps in the debate.

More detailed positions could. Be mapped.

The last scale is a binary scale of examples of generally accepted things the State has a right to control and generally accepted things the State has no right to control. Abortion sits in the middle for debate on where it should fall.