June 3, 2010

By Dave Andrusko

I had wanted to talk the other day about William McGurn's Wall Street Journal op-ed titled "Gallup's Pro-Life America: When Will Our Media Reflect American on Abortion?" but time simply got away from me. However it's still available here and since there are again many items to talk about today, I will highlight only a few points for your consideration.

Over at "National Right to Life News Today" (www.nationalrighttolifenews.org), I discussed on Wednesday pro-abortion Nancy Cohen's take on the source which is the jumping point for both Cohen and McGurn: two complementary analyses written last month by Gallup Senior Editor Lydia Saad.

Saad make three interrelated points. That self-identifying as "pro-life" has become the "new normal"; that a majority in every age group wants abortion legal (in Gallup's formulation) "only under certain circumstances"; and that even as Americans have changed their minds on other contentious social issues, "strong moral qualms about abortion have not gone away," as McGurn writes.

We wrote about the creative pro-abortion explanations for the pro-life swing last month, but it really is worth reiterating. According to McGurn,

"Perhaps the most original explanation appeared in Slate. There a writer opined that because President Obama has "softened" the Democratic language on abortion, more Americans now feel free to call themselves pro-life."

Yes, indeed, a President as pro-abortion as George W. Bush was pro-life is giving secret signals that it's okay to be pro-life. Aargh.

McGurn doesn't mention the other explanation found in the Slate article authored by Jessica Grose: that young people have "grown up under a political system that demonized sexuality." Yes, indeed, no way, no how we could possibly see sexuality on display in our popular culture.

I can't believe that in their heart of hearts these people (in this case Aimee R. Thorne-Thomsen, identified as the former executive director of the Pro-Choice Public Education Project ) actually believe such nonsense--or expect us to believe that they believe it. It's just camouflage to hide the truth: young people are more and more pro-life.

As McGurn correctly asks near the end, "Who's really out of touch with the American people here?"

Please read McGurn's essay at here. If you have time, you can glance at my thoughts at www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/May10/nv051810part2.html.

Please send your thoughts and comments to daveandrusko@gmail.org.

Part One
Part Two