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The Growing Number of
Pro-Life Female Candidates Shatters Old Myths
Part Two of Three By Dave Andrusko Even when pro-abortionists (wearing their masks as "objective" journalists) make light of their own concessions, it's very important when anti-life orthodoxies get challenged, even gently. Every time a "given" or a "everyone knows" bites the dust, more room is made available for the pro-life perspective to compete in the public square. Julia Baird is a deputy editor for the ever-shrinking Newsweek, and over the weekend she penned a piece titled "Sarah Palin Should Be Able to Call Herself a Feminist."
Of course, the subtitle is a reassurance that if even if this is conceded, all will be well anyway: "Or Why Mama Grizzlies Would Be Pro-Choice," an allusion to Palin's playful moniker for conservative pro-life women. And naturally among the six reasons Baird offers to support her case that Palin can call herself a feminist there are many not-so-subtle shots and tongue-in-cheek remarks. Nonetheless.…
Baird concedes that whatever outsiders may have thought there has been plenty of internal "vitriolic" debates among feminists ("let's be honest, feminism is a broad church"). Moreover while "American feminism has been dominated for three decades by the divisive, bitter question of reproductive rights," it is "not the only plank." Why? For lots of reasons, but surely because "A brief glance at history shows us that there are many different kinds of feminism." Translation: not all feminists, let alone all women, think alike. For another, when it comes to the acceptability of women with small children running for office, there has a fundamental shift along the entire political spectrum. That greater acceptance began before Palin became the Republican vice-presidential nominee, but it has picked up considerable speed in the past two years, thanks in no small part to the former governor of Alaska. As evidenced by the high-visibility pool of strong pro-life female candidates running this year, the pool of pro-life champions has been widened.
Finally, Baird concedes "Democrats need to lift their game." Having said that, she believes (as the subtitle of the piece suggests) that "pro-choicers" will win in a match up against pro-life candidates such as Carly Fiorina in California, Sharron Angle in Nevada, and Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire. Okay, come November we will see how the electorate feels about these dynamite pro-life senatorial candidates. But whatever transpires, what ultimately matters most is that the emergence of a pro-life female candidates has once and for all put the lie to the myth that women--"feminists" or otherwise--are pro-abortion. Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |
