Michael Berube, who usually posts on his own blog, raises some interesting points about abortion and progressive politics in a post on The American Street.
I do not believe that American politics can shift significantly to the left if we are constantly up against 35-45 percent of the electorate that will sign on with anyone– even genuine Messianic madmen (examples on request!)– who oppose abortion. In other words, the sooner progressives begin spreading the word that you can be a “moral person” who “respects life” but supports first-trimester abortions on health and social welfare grounds, the better. How to go about this?What strikes me is that Berube is writing about first trimester abortions, while many of the recent abortion battles in the U.S. have been about third trimester abortion. I'm not an expert on European laws on abortion, but a quick web search seems to indicate that at least some of European coutnries have restrictions such as waiting periods, mandatory counseling, and the like that would be anathema to much of the pro-choice community.
What if progressives took a more nuanced, less absolute position on abortion? Or were open to a variety of views?
Questions worth asking I think.
1 comment:
Roe v. Wade allowed banning 3rd trimester abortions. "Partial birth" abortions are 2nd and third. Parental notification and waiting periods are both 1st trimester issues. 89% of abortions are in the first 12 weeks.
I can't find the citation for this (I'm remembering it from 8 years ago), but deaths from back alley abortions, mostly first trimester, are rising because of these restrictions.
As for "a variety of views," isn't the debate between people who want to let individuals make their own decisions about their lives and pregnancies, and those who want to make an absolute rule? Which side is absolutist, and which is "open to a variety of views"?
Pro-choice is a position of compromise. Anti-abortion is not. When anti-abortion groups agree to reasonable compromises (incest, rape, life of mother, life of twin, IVF, arbitrary third-trimester rules, banning random procedures), pro-choice groups might be willing to give up some more ground. I don't speak for them, so I don't know.
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