You know, I appreciate the opportunity to speak out on other issues. And there's one issue that's become especially salient. So I'd now like to give the Pro-Lifer’s of the world something to agonize about.
Thing is, I don't even like abortion. I think people should be responsible and use birth control (but uber-Catholics oppose that as well.) But I dislike anti-abortion zealots even more than I dislike abortion.
Anti-abortion zealots are arrogant when they say that Roe v. Wade was "improperly decided". They're not constitutional lawyers. Contrary to the much-parroted claim that the decision was "made up of whole cloth" and "making law", in fact the Court was UNmaking law. I challenge anti-abortion types to come up with a constitutional argument to empower the government to invade a woman's body and deprive her of personal autonomy. Until then, Roe v. Wade was entirely appropriate.
Anti-abortion zealots are also disingenuous when they say their goal is to repeal Roe v. Wade, restoring the status quo ante, meaning it'll be left up to the states. Who are they kidding? If you're against abortion, you want it banned everywhere. You don't want it illegal in some states but legal in others, so that a woman in NE Indiana who can't get an abortion there can just drive to SW Michigan to get one. What-- would you then ban crossing state lines to get an abortion? How would this be enforced? By stopping all cars to see if one has a pregnant woman? Would sure cause traffic tie-ups. What if it's the first trimester and she doesn't look pregnant? Would you make all women crossing state lines stop and take a pregnancy test? So really, "returning it to the states" is not what you want. I wish anti-abortion types would just cut the crap here.
A final problem for anti-abortion types is who exactly is getting these abortions. The basic argument against abortion is religious in nature, and in a secular system this ought to be inadmissible. They have to deal with the fact that studies show that 70% of abortion recipients are Christian. With a representative percentage of Evangelicals and Catholics among them. Regular churchgoers do not refrain from it, either. Even anti-abortion types get abortions when they get pregnant and really don't want to be. So if even Christians cannot be persuaded against abortion by religious arguments, how can they expect "nones" (now up to 23% of the population) to put up with religious assaults on their freedom?
Sincerely,
Stephen Van Eck
Rushville, PA