Thursday, September 06, 2007

The Morning (or Afternoon) After II   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Did you hear what Romney said about women and abortion?

Governor Romney, your aides say you see ending abortion as a two- step process — rolling back Roe v. Wade, which would leave it legal in some states and then a constitutional amendment to ban it nationwide. If abortion is murder, how can you live it with being legal in some parts of the country, and for how long can you do so?

MR. ROMNEY: Well, I think all of us — I believe almost all of us in the room would say that we’d love to have an America that didn’t have abortion. But the truth of the matter is that — (applause) — that’s not what America is right now. That’s not where the American people are right now, and so I’d like to see Roe v. Wade overturned and allow the states and the elected representatives of the people and the people themselves have the ability to put in place pro-life legislation.

And of course it’s our aspiration that at some point we’ll see a nation that doesn’t have abortion. But until that time, I certainly believe that allowing states and citizens and their representatives to fashion their own laws to protect the sanctity of life is very, very important.

I recognize that for many people, that is considered an act of murder, to have an abortion. It is without question the taking of a human life, and I believe that a civilized society must respect the sanctity of a human life. But we have two lives involved here: A mom and unborn child. We have to have concern for both lives. And so the expression of our compassion and our consideration — and work to change hearts and minds — and that’s the way, in my view, we’ll ultimately have a society without abortion.

That strikes me as a really healthy and helpful way to be addressing the issue. It’s a far cry from the Anna Quindlen conventional wisdom that would have pro-lifers throwing all pregnant women who find themselves in a desperate situation in jail. Republicans — including Rudy and even Fred — have fallen into this jail trap. For a presidential candidate to talk this way — to be adapting the “Women Deserve Better” message of Feminists for Life and co. is a civic contribution. I don’t know who’s going to win this nomination, but I know I’d like Republican nominee who opposes legal abortion and who understands why — that we must protect the sanctity and dignity of human life. And that there are real people — both who were not allowed to be born, and who are walking among us — who have been harmed the “choice” the liberal feminists and their fellow-travelers have put so much of their energy into. If you want to talk about changing hearts and minds, an infusion of this kind of talk is a substantial baby step.

09/06 01:56 PMShare