'Abortion Is Murder' Isn't a Winning Argument for Pro-Life Conservatives
It is both philosophically and strategically wrong.
With the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, for the first time in 45 years, the pro-life lobby has a shot at overturning Roe v.
Wade, the admittedly flawed Supreme Court ruling that acknowledged that women have a constitutional right to make reproductive choices. However, at the same time, it seems, public support for banning abortion has dipped post-Trump, perhaps due to his harsh talk.
Until now, the pro-life lobby has been very careful not to demonize mother who have abortions. However, now they might be tempted to whip up flailing support by doubling down on their argument that "abortion is murder" and women who opt to have abortions are murderers.
But that would be a big mistake both philosophically and strategically, I note in my column at The Week. Mothers are best placed to balancing and maximizing their own and their child's wellbeing because they are the only ones who have a direct and vital interest on both sides here. "There is no other situation in life where this is the case," I note. "The state can regulate murder because in every murder, even one in self-defense, the perpetrator has an interest only in himself, not the person killed. So someone needs to ensure that the victim's interests are adequately represented. That is not the case with abortion."
Go here to read the piece.