- Christians are generally Pro-Life. Trump promised justices in the mold of Scalia. During the 3rd debate Chris Wallace brought up late-term abortion. 80% of the populace favors restrictions of late-term procedures (not just Christians). It was a stark exchange between Trump and Clinton where Trump defended his opposition, where other GOP candidates have waffled or triangulated with "culture of life" language. Yes, Trump used to be Pro-Choice. Christians will hold his feet to the fire to make sure he follows through on protecting what they view as a vulnerable population. Several days ago when talking about Lincoln, I said there was a current issue similar to what he faced, and I was alluding to abortion. There are many who see protecting the unborn as an issue of human dignity akin to the abolition of slavery. Dred Scott and Roe are similar rulings in the cultural context of sharp moral divisions. The evangelical awakening in the south turned many blue states red in the 1970s
I know this issue is very emotional on both sides, that's why I shied away from bringing it up at the time. From the Christian viewpoint this a single voter issue to many. My personal view is that if a baby can survive outside the womb in a NICU unit being delivered 3.5 months premature, I consider that a human life. We often talk about the science is settled when it comes to climate, I believe the science is settled when it comes to a point of viability of a fetus outside the womb. There of course can be extreme situations when a doctor and mother may have to make a heart-wrenching decision. Hillary did make this point during the debate but failed to pivot to a greater empathy of former Democratic talking point of let's make abortion "rare and safe"
Aren't late term abortions already exceedingly rare as it is? Why exactly are pro-lifers getting so up in arms about something that rarely ever happens to begin with, something that, on the very few occasions when it does happen, only happens for the most extreme of health emergencies? Why bother putting more restrictions on something that's already pretty restricted as is?
And why exactly do Christians/pro-lifers/conservatives think they have the right to regulate what a woman can do with her body and pregnancy in the first place? How can conservatives, who claim to be so pro-limited government interference in people's personal lives, justify letting the government have the power to regulate such a personal aspect of women's health in such a manner?
The comparison of ending abortion to the abolition of slavery is utterly ludicrous, and frankly, offensive, to me. They are not one and the same. Not even close.
Though having said that, if we're going to go with comparisons, I'd like to know why conservatives think tougher restrictions on abortion will somehow lower or stop women from having abortions, but when people suggest tougher restrictions on guns after something like, oh, say, Sandy Hook (to continue on with the whole "protecting innocent life" train of thought here) suddenly they just can't seem to justify
that kind of restriction?
Like mama cass said, if people want to continue to see a reduction in the number of abortions, all these restrictive laws narrowing the amount of time a woman has to make that choice, all the right's attempts to defund things like Planned Parenthood, are not the solution. Comprehensive sex education in schools, easier access to birth control, more support for adoption agencies and more people being wiling to adopt children who need homes, better support systems for women who've been raped, tougher penalties for rapists/teaching boys about the importance of consent, things of that sort, THAT is where pro-life organizations and politicians should be focusing their energies if they're truly serious about trying to lower the amount of abortions out there. I've no doubt plenty of pro-life voters do support most or all of those things, of course, but why aren't more politicians advocating for that stuff instead of just going with their usual, "We'll shut down Planned Parenthood!" spheel?
(Not intending this post to be confrontational, by the way. Just some questions I'm curious about regarding the pro-life/conservative side of this issue.)
