I usually hate associating myself with the Prolife Movement, mostly because the people in it largely seem to be a bunch of self-righteous jerks. Not everyone, mind you, but the most vocal folks certainly are. The problem is, I do have a little issue with abortion – mostly the part about when life begins. I recognize that not everybody shares my belief about life beginning at conception, nor am I interested in judging anybody who has had an abortion. (If you have had and abortion, I’d love to talk to you about it just so I can better my understanding and hopefully build some bridges instead of walls.) But my stand on abortion is exactly why I’m voting for Hillary Clinton this year – she will do more to end the practice than all of the so-called Prolife candidates together.
You see, the problem with the Prolife movement is that they focus on trying to make abortion illegal, which is completely counter-productive to their stated aim of ending the practice. Making abortion illegal isn’t going to stop squat. It may even encourage the practice, with the added fallout of countless young women dying from botched procedures.
What will end abortion is education, child care services, birth control and increased government spending on those things to both prevent crisis pregnancies and make it easier for a woman to keep her baby. Yet the very same politicians who are so rabidly insistent that we make abortion illegal are the very ones who refuse to vote in spending on those things that will help the babies they’re so insistent they’re saving. Where does any of that make sense?
The real Prolife candidate
On the other hand, Hillary Clinton does support all those things. Yes, she supports abortion rights. So what? Her policies make it easier to prevent crisis pregnancies and will make it easier for women to keep their babies. Will some women still choose to terminate their pregnancies? Probably. But making abortion illegal isn’t going to change that. Providing services to both prevent crisis pregnancies and make it easier for women to keep their babies will certainly stop more abortions than not.
And, yes, I’m aware that Bernie Sanders also supports those things, but he does not have the breadth of experience Clinton does. Nor does he have her special link to the issue.
If you really want to vote prolife, do you want to vote for a man who will insist on burdening a woman with an unwanted child, then refuse to lift a finger to help her? Or do you want to vote for the person who will do the most to prevent the problem, then will help with the result should prevention fail? I know who is really the prolife candidate and it’s Hillary Clinton.
I disagree about abortion, for the most part, but I agree with everything else you’ve written here. A nice essay, ALB!
I hope life has been treating you well.
Which is why I don’t cram my beliefs down everyone’s throat. Thanks for the comment. Hope you’re doing well, too!