Abortion and the American Left |
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| For most of its history, the American Left was pro-life. In the last three decades, however, abortion and the American Left have become inseparable. Here you will find a critical evaluation of the recent adoption by the American Left of a pro-abortion position, and how this position conflicts with the other values of the Left. | ||
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It is out of character for the Left to neglect the weak and
helpless. The traditional mark of the Left has been its protection of
the underdog, the weak, and the poor. The unborn child is the most
helpless form of humanity, even more in need of protection than the poor
tenant farmer or the mental patient or the boat people on the high seas.
The basic instinct of the Left is to aid those who cannot aid themselves
-- and that instinct is absolutely sound. ACLU v.
Unborn Children In its long and relentless campaign against the right to life of unborn children, the ACLU has violated its own traditions and principles in a radical way. Here the champion of the defenseless turns the power of government against the most defenseless human beings. The defender of equal rights supports a two-tiered view of humanity, with those on the lower tier having no rights at all. Time was, folks calling themselves progressives dismissed any attempts to quantify -- or even qualify -- the value of human life as inherently right-wing. And that we had obligations to one another -- that to threaten any of us was to threaten us all. That no one ever had a right to inflict harm on another except in self-defense.Those days are, sadly, long gone. In fact, the term "progressive" is hardly recognizable anymore what with so many who claim the heritage of the Left instead advocating policies drawn from the furthest reaches of the right. From abortion to assisted suicide, there is a steady erosion of leftist support for the value of human life. But there is nothing at all progressive about abortion - it is as reactionary a practice as one could imagine.
Abortion has been numbered among
the liberal causes of modern politics. But a careful examination of the
history of the abortion rights movement would shock even the most ardent
defender of a woman's right to choose. The founders of the movement
were in fact racists who despised the poor and who were searching for a
way to prevent colored races from reproducing. Rather than defending
the rights of the poorest of the poor, which is the tradition of
liberalism, the founders advocated abortion as a means of eliminating
the poor. And rather than desiring to help the poor through welfare
programs, they wanted to eliminate all charities and government aid. . . . But
extend the belief in the dignity, equality and sanctity of human life to
include - as well as protection of the widow, the orphan and the
elderly lonely - the unborn child, and you court excommunication from
the American liberal fellowship. Pro-choice
advocates often make such claims as, "You can't force your own morality
on others." Yet in issues such as those concerning the poor, women and
minorities, liberals have never had a problem forcing their views on
others. Only when, as Mr. Shields says, "the agenda is one liberals
abhor" do liberals suddenly become libertarians.
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