Categories
ideological culture media and media people nannyism national politics & policies privacy responsibility too much government

Women and Men for Life

At Townhall on Sunday, I applauded the Women’s March on Washington for being peaceful, despite Madonna’s F‑bomb laden speech, culminating with her daydream of “blowing up the White House.”

We’ll never know how many more folks marched in that much-​heralded event than attended last weekend’s pro-​life march, because the mainstream media did not pay enough attention to the later, inconvenient-​to-​their-​narrative event, and crowd-​counters didn’t count.

The two marches did “intersect” (figuratively) when a pro-​life group was kicked out as a “partner” to the women’s march.

“If you want to come to the march you are coming with the understanding that you respect a woman’s right to choose [abortion],” declared Linda Sarsour, one of four chairwomen for the women’s march, who was described by the New York Times as “a Brooklyn-​born Palestinian-​American Muslim racial justice and civil-​rights activist.”

In its favor, the pro-​life march, anti-​celebrating the 44th year since the Roe v. Wade decision, had far more tasteful placards — despite the fact that pro-​life protesters are often remembered for grisly signs picturing aborted fetuses. I particularly liked a sign held by a young women, reading:

“We are having a clump of cells.” — [said] No One Ever

Speaking of young people, Slate magazine reported that “the demographic outlook for the pro-​life movement looks anything but bleak,” citing a 2015 poll wherein “52 percent of millennials said the label ‘pro-​life’ describes them somewhat or very well.”

Remember, the pro-​life movement has been marching all these years not to secure government benefits for themselves, but to protect others.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.


Printable PDF

 

Categories
Common Sense general freedom ideological culture national politics & policies

Abort the Subsidy

Common Sense generally steers clear of the abortion issue. Arguably, for “common sense” reasons.

I’ve always been pro-​life, but I’ve also been skeptical of government’s ability to improve the situation, to save unborn lives via the criminal justice system.

No law forces women to have abortions; it’s voluntary. I’ve long hoped that ultrasounds and other technological advances will change hearts and minds, nudging couples to choose to abort less often, making abortion even more rare than when it was illegal. I gladly note that the number of abortions has fallen 12 percent since 2010.

Certainly, I’ve prioritized my political action in a different direction: affecting greater representation, better government, via citizen-​initiated checks on power.

Yet, the recent videos showing doctors and other Planned Parenthood personnel chatting about the sale of fetal body parts implicates a lot more than just abortion. For starters, the footage triggered my gag reflex, and then my sense of justice for the unborn, and sense of decency in the treatment of their remains.

And what about justice and compassion for people deeply offended (myself among them) at being forced to fork over $528.4 million tax dollars each year to an organization performing the most abortions?

Let’s be pro-​choice and abort the taxpayer subsidy to Planned Parenthood.

Those who continue to approve of Planned Parenthood’s work would remain free to support it. Personally. Voluntarily. Likewise, if you revile the organization, you should also be free to not fund it.

Isn’t such respect for each others’ heartfelt beliefs also just common sense?

I think so. I’m Paul Jacob.


Printable PDF

12 Week old fetus