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About that “Truce” on
Abortion By Dave Andrusko Word of caution/preface. Short of the Second Coming there will always be a range of very important issues on the table for the American electorate to consider as it evaluates candidates for office. And that is obviously even more true with candidates for President. He or she will have to be able to articulate a position of everything from A to Z. Well, that “A” includes abortion, a perennial that will not go away until full legal protection is returned to the littlest Americans. I give that as background because even more than usual, there are a lot of people, including some who know better, who insist abortion as an issue ought to…go away…or at least be put on hold. This advice is packaged in a number of ways. Typically it starts with something along the lines of that pro-lifers need to be “reasonable.” Abortion doesn’t necessarily have to go away, it just needs to be placed on the back burner until….well, until the economy is humming, swords are turned into plowshares, and the $17 trillion deficit is retired. I exaggerate, but only slightly. Two quick points, because we will return to what is now a relatively low-grade suggestion but will soon be high-octane demand. First, this is, of course, part and parcel of the notion that there ought to be a “truce” (I believe the word was first used in this context by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels) on so-called “social issues.” A truce, as if we’ll agree to disagree; or we’ll agree to agree (that abortion is hugely important) but not give it emphasis; or we’ll agree that at least for 2010 we’ll agree to run up the white flag? All of those are non-starters—for you, for me, and for a sector of the electorate that is both much deeper and wider than is commonly admitted and whose commitment to life is unstinting. Second, as pro-life former Governor Mike Huckabee put it, it is possible to “walk and chew gum at the same time.” An informed and involved citizen can be concerned about, say, the economy and refuse to relegate abortion to the status of a second-class issue. As I said we’ll revisit this again. Bottom line? Neither you nor I will rest until the Littlest America is welcome in life and protected in law. I need your feedback on both Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |