OPINION:
Amid progressives’ incessant weeping and gnashing of teeth over the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the shrill sounds of a screeching reality have been completely drowned out: SCOTUS’ expungement of nationalized abortion was utterly avoidable.
The abortion inferno dominating U.S. politics over the past five decades was always predicated on an ever-changing disconnect between public opinion, reality, and the claims and whims of liberal activists.
Progressives today obsessively tout abortion rights. At some point, many abandoned the “safe, legal and rare” mantra that once stood at the center of Democratic politics, jumping full-throttle onto the “shout your abortion” bandwagon.
Abortion became, for many leftists, no longer a lamentable act worthy of deep sorrow and dislike; it suddenly became a glaring right to celebrate and for which to fiercely battle, even when the war cries blatantly ignored or flew in the face of the realities before them.
The pro-choice lobby has relied on many faulty arguments over the years, pointing to polling showing Americans don’t want to see the overturning of Roe. And to their credit, the statistics do, in some senses, corroborate this argument. A recent poll from Pew Research Center found 57% of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe.
But here’s the problem: Abortion is a deeply complex issue. The Roe question is essential but only tells a sliver of the story. More astute polling focused on the issue of life and abortion — and not on the Supreme Court or Roe — has found 71% of Americans support legally limiting abortion in some way — and an even higher percentage (81%) believe it’s possible to have laws that protect both the mom and unborn child.
The pro-choice lobby, though, has almost exclusively focused on rhetorically dehumanizing unborn children, dismissing them as clumps of cells, claiming they’re not alive, and elevating the woman’s right to choose above all considerations.
Rather than coming to the table to negotiate and consider pro-life views, the abortion lobby and pro-choice activists instead opted to dig in their heels and evade any compromise.
The failure even to consider the arguments being made — undeniable and truthful statements about the horrors of abortion — brought the pro-choice lobby to this challenging moment.
Sadly, some in the pro-choice lobby lack self-reflective abilities. Instead of torching abortion clinics and pledging rage in the post-Roe era, these critics should introspectively look at the improper steps they took for decades as they dehumanized and debased the unborn.
They should also explore how their inflexibility and refusal to see reality for what it is brought us to this very moment.
See, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe was a dispute over a 15-week ban. In other instances, people have opposed 20-week bans or proposed other term-specific restrictions. But for many pro-choicers, no restriction was worthy of consideration.
Eventually, the light breaks through the darkness, the truth elevates to its crescendo, and the faulty arguments used to prop up an ideology lead us to a moment like we have today.
Abortion is incredibly complex, but the truths at the center of it are not. In the vast majority of abortive situations, a heartbeat is taken, and life is snuffed out.
Had the pro-choice side spent more time genuinely discussing the reality of abortion, entertaining time-sensitive bans, and working with ideological opponents rather than allowing cases like Dobbs to fester, perhaps they would be in a different position today.
An inability to compromise and toxic stubbornness gave conservatives the win they’ve dreamed of since 1973.
• Billy Hallowell is a journalist, commentator and digital TV host who has covered thousands of faith and culture stories. He is the director of content and communications at Pure Flix, and previously served as the senior editor at Faithwire and the former faith and culture editor at TheBlaze.
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