Changing the Subject -- Part
One
Part Two
Some of you may remember a TN&V from last February
titled, "Dead End Straight Ahead." On the 33rd
anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the author of a relatively
recent book on abortion politics had raised the hackles
of the Abortion Establishment with an essay that
appeared in the New York Times. To understand the rest
of this edition of TN&V, it'd be helpful to quote a few
paragraphs from that edition.
A self-identified "pro-choicer," Will Saletan writes for
the online magazine, Slate, and is the author of an
interesting book with the bizarrely misleading title of
"Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War."
Last January 22, he wrote a piece for the New York Times
entitled, "Three Decades After Roe, a War We Can All
Support."
In the course of that essay, he provoked his fellow
"pro-choicers" by writing that most Americans "agree
with your opponents about the simplest thing: It's bad
to kill a fetus." Adding insult to injury, Saletan
added, "They're right. It is bad." While there are
useful comments that follow, much of the rest of the
op-ed is hugely disappointing.
Having moved down the road less taken by pro-choicers,
Saletan veers off to a well-trodden path. It is a road
which he insists his fellow "pro-choicers" ought eagerly
to race down --and which, Saletan believes, has the
added benefit of attracting the "mushy middle."
It's the usual usual–more contraception, etc. --
which is
not our issue. This allows him to avoid endorsing ANY
"ham-fisted criminal laws"--which he insists don't work.
A militant pro-abortion writer for the Nation magazine,
Katha Pollitt, responded by hammering Saletan from
pillar to post. Slate then published a fascinating
online give-and-take between the two.
Last month, at its annual conference, Planned Parenthood
brought the two together to continue the debate. You can
read PPFA's self-serving account of the "debate" on its
web page.
There are three interesting dynamics going on, if we
read between the lines of the account written by Laura
Lambert.
First, Saletan bows and scrapes. His crowd-pleasing
rhetoric is like offering catnip to a feline. "First of
all, I just want to say what an honor it is to be
speaking to the most effective 'pro-life' organization
in the history of the world," to which Lambert adds
(unnecessarily) "in effect, turning the widely accepted
definition of 'pro-life' on its head."
"It was a point Saletan returned to again and again,"
Lambert continues, "that the vast majority of the
services that Planned Parenthood provides do more to
reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and
abortions than anti-choice rhetoric and banning abortion
outright ever could." If PPFA isn't perfect, you
wouldn't know it by Saletan.
Second, Saletan's reward for having turned the leading
provider of abortions not only in the United States but
also worldwide (through the International Planned
Parenthood Federation) into the leader of the pro-life
movement was to be bashed for talking about abortion as
a "bad" thing in his Times op-ed. Pollitt concedes there
is a "tidal wave" in "guiltification" among women today,
but that's only because "the younger generation ... has
grown up with the constant message -- and a different
message -- that [abortion] is 'bad'."
Third, and finally, to participants the issue is simply
one of packaging. There are two dimensions to that.
Apparently there was loads of jolly talk about what
"sound bites" to use. More interesting was the lament
that for too long the media have not described PPFA
correctly. Get this fascinating paragraph:
Some took the dialogue as an opportunity to speak
directly to members of the media who cover the issues
Planned Parenthood cares about most, in particular about
the unbalanced coverage of abortion and reproductive
rights issues. "We've tried for years to have [the
media] refer to our providers as health care providers
and our clinics as health centers, but they end up being
abortion clinics and abortion providers," said Blue
Carreker, vice president, public affairs and marketing,
Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood. "This is not something
new to Planned Parenthood." Later, Saletan urged the
audience, "When you see the media not playing it the way
you want ... think about what you can do. You can make
us go your way."
Ah, yes, "You can make us go your way." With the right
lobbying campaign supplemented by rhetorical razzmatazz,
presto chango death peddlers become "health care
providers." Where is George Orwell when you need him?
The entire story is worth reading, if you have the time.
The web address is
www.ppfa.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/webzine/newspoliticsactivism/fean-060419-pollitt-saletan.xml;jsessionid=3164DEAD5E2F200D95051EF826076055
Also, if you can share this, I think you can offer
friends and family new insights into the Abortion
Establishment's strategy.
Please send any questions or comments to Dave Andrusko
at dandrusko@nrlc.org.
Part Two
