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Monday, July 05, 2004
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"I HOPE MY LEG WON'T BREAK / WALKING IN THE WOMB"
This story caused quite the stir last week. Turns out a new ultrasound technology has shown fetal activity occurring much earlier in development than heretofor believed. In some instances, it displays activities that were not believed to occur until after birth.
Of course, anti-abortion forces are going to use these images as a means of pushing their agenda. You'll notice that I used the phrase, "anti-abortion." Since support for the death penalty is so prevelant among "movement conservatives", I find the phrase "pro-life" to irony laden to use. I place people as being pro or anti abortion. "Pro-choice" is a misnomer, as well. "choice" involves and individual choice, with its attendant consequences. The pro-abortion movement isn't about that. Shit, they'd be thrilled if the government paid for all abortions. In fact, they demand it. Once the government is involved, choice is, by definition limited.
I'm pro-abortion. I really don't give a fuck what you do with your bodies. If I happen to have contributed to the creation of the problem, I'd like to have a vote, but courts everywhere have repeatedly ruled that I don't. So, who gives a shit?
But abortion is a very touchy issue. These images will inflame that, especially in an election year. The politics of abortion in the United States is a minefield best left avoided. No matter what position you take, large segments of the population will be extraordinarily pissed off.
So what does John Kerry do? He puts on his tap-dance shoes and goes mine-sweeping.
Listen, I realize that this is my third post out of four about Kerry. I'd love nothing more than to take a break about writing about him. But his craveness and stupidity won't let me. To quote Michael Corleone, "Every time I try to get out, he pulls me back in."
Kerry yesterday gave an interview where he states, possibly for the first time, that he believes that "life begins at conception."
"I oppose abortion, personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception."
It gets better. Much better.
"I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist," he continued in the interview. "We have separation of church and state in the United States of America." The comments came on the final day of a three-state Midwest swing, during which Kerry has repeatedly sought to dispel stereotypes that could play negatively among voters there.
This is much, much further than anyone has asked Kerry to ever go on abortion. His own campaign spokesperson, Stephanie Cutler, has said she is unaware of his ever having said this before.
As I've said every time I've brought up abortion, I believe there are serious, principled and well-meaning people on both sides of the debate. I just happen to believe that when that is the case, the rights of the individual should prevail. All Kerry would have had to say is, "While I personally don't believe in abortion, I don't feel that my views shoud be dictated to the women of the United States" and he would have my unqualified respect. Instead, he went much, much further.
During the debates in the Democratic primaries, Kerry repeatedly stated that his opposition to the death penalty, with the very recent exception of convicted terrorists, is predicated on the notion that mistakes could be made and an innocent life could be taken. Now, if you believe that "life begins at conception", that life is by definition, innocent. In fact, you can't get more innocent.
I personally don't believe that life begins at conception. Unless and until a life is sustainable on its own, that is not life. My support of euthenasia rests on this, as well. The way I see it, life is defined by your capacity to live and enjoy it. The second that that is not the case, the rights of the individual prevail, whether that be the woman carrying the fetus, or the next of kin of a person on life support. Many people will disagree with this, but it's a strong belief and one I'm prepared to defend.
John Kerry, on the other hand, appears to have no beliefs that he is prepared to defend. He will qualify every statement he makes or principle he holds in the hope that it will get him that one extra vote. He honestly believes that people are that stupid. It wasn't that long ago, last November in fact (after the Senate vote on late term abortion), that Kerry declared, "In the United States of America, politicians should not be using a woman's right to choose as an issue." I guess that statement is, as they say in politics, "inoperative."
There's an even bigger issue here. If the Senator honesty believes that he is going to peel anti-abortion votes away from the president, he is far dumber than he looks. His statements should, however, make those on the pro-abortion side very uncomfortable. Those who declare that they will vote on the basis of abortion should only look at two candidates now. Those are George Bush, who believes abortion is always wrong and should be outlawed, and Ralph Nader, who thinks abortion is neat and should be encouraged until the fetus graduates from college.
Just going by his own statements in the last six months, you can see the inherent contradictions in John Kerry's beliefs. He isn't willing to "take my Catholic belief, my article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist" in the area of abortion, but is more than willing to do so on the death penalty. Look at his position on Gay marriage. His varying positions on the war. Time after time after time, he is willing to "adjust" his "principled beliefs" to meet the political expediencies of a given moment. Of course, if you happen to point this out, you're a "tool of the Republican attack machine."
"The Real Deal" indeed.
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