Aborting the
Pro-Choice Movement
“But let me not be
understood as admitting, even by implication, that the existing
relations
between the two races in the slaveholding States is an evil: — far
otherwise; I
hold it to be a good, as it has thus far proved itself to be to both,
and will
continue to prove so if not disturbed by the fell spirit of abolition.”
–Senator John Calhoun (D-SC) in a speech on the floor of the Senate in
February, 1837.
With these words, Calhoun poured gasoline on a fire he meant to put out. He was concerned with anti-slavery petitions being presented to the Senate. He and other pro-slavery Senators detested the anti-slavery petitions presented by abolitionist societies and believed the Senate should no longer receive them.
Calhoun went beyond that. For the first sixty
years of
The Speech defined Southern politics for the next quarter century. Southern politicians became more strident in pushing slavery, requiring the North to return run away slaves. Then they began to insist upon their rights to carry their slaves up North and to create new slave states in the territories. Their vehemence led to more Northern opposition.
Strong abolitionists were always a minority. The Majority of Northerners took a “not in my back yard” approach to slavery, being perfectly comfortable allowing slavery to exist in the South. However, Southerners demanded expansion and approval for their “good lifestyle.” Believing that Southerners wanted to shove slavery down their throat, many Northerners joined the new Republican Party, which did not seek to stop slavery, only contain it. While Southern Democrats split the party because of the Democrats’ refusal to adopt a platform calling for a slave code that would allow slavery everywhere, Republicans united behind Abe Lincoln and made him President.
Now, what does this have to do with abortion? Everything. Most Americans like the Northerners of the 1830s who view abortion as murder but are not strong pro-lifers. They’re content to let abortion remain legal, and the opinion of the American people appeared to be fixed that way for several decades to come.
Well, two weeks ago, I believe a historic shift
began and
that
“Walking home from the store, I hear a baby wailing through an apartment window on my street. I chuckle to myself and think how happy I am that won't be my window later this year.
”To simply say ‘I'm not sorry’ or ‘I don't regret it’ is not strong enough. Having an abortion was the best decision I ever made. I'm glad I did it, and I'm 100% confident that I made the right choice for myself, my lover, and our situation.”
Now, this represents a paradigm shift in the pro-choice movement when politicians and pro-choice advocates traditionally speak of abortion, they speak of it as a tragedy. Bill Clinton famously declared that he wanted abortion safe, legal, and rare which in effect admitted that it was a bad thing. As Alan Keyes remarked a few years later, “The only thing that’s good when it’s rare is a steak.”
Like Southern slaveholders of the 1830s, these women are demanding not just that abortion be viewed as something that should be legal, but as a positive social good that women should take pride in.
However, this is vastly overplaying their hands. A recent poll showed 57% of Americans believe abortion is murder, but many will allow it because they are sympathetic to women in crisis situations and believe it’s not their place to intrude on such a sacred and private decision. Right into the middle of this moral ambivalence steps Amy Richards and the imnotsorry.net crowd and upsets the pro-choice apple cart, demanding not that people accept as abortion as a necessary evil, but that they view it as a positive good.
With 7 years of debate over partial birth abortion, there’s been a steady shift to self pro-life identification. While it doesn’t tell us much about what people think about abortion, it tells us a lot about what people think about the pro-choice movement and their general discomfort with the idea of identifying themselves with scissors through the back of an eight month old fetus’ head. Can you imagine the reaction people will have when the writings of these “abortion pride” authors begin to be read more widely?
For many, it’ll be a feeling of revulsion and shock and it will cost the pro-choice movement its emotional sympathy. Good people don’t want to identify with selfish beasts. I believe if this attitude spreads and is broadcast, it will open people up more to the idea of regulating abortion with multiple safeguards. I think in some form Roe v. Wade will be overturned, even if it’s by a congressional act and you’ll see widespread regulation of abortion throughout pregnancy. I think there will be serious effort to stop sex selection abortions, abortion for the purpose of birth control, and abortion for cosmetic reasons.
Without John Calhoun’s infamous speech, slavery may have continued
in the