Sunday, May 31, 2009

Pro-Life, Kinda


In memory of the late Dr. George Tiller.

The murder of Dr. George Tiller is not something that should be taken lightly and I have debated using it as an opportunity to raise what I think is a serious difficulty of the rhetorical "pro-life" position.

Of course, I don't refer to anti-abortion activists as pro-life, because I don't think they are. I refer to them as "anti-choice" or "anti-abortion," as I feel those are fair characterizations of the position.

The reason I use the term is that, it seems to me, that those who advocate for "life" don't actually advocate for life in all instances. What they're advocating for is fetal rights, generally out of the belief in a soul instilled at conception.

I could point out, easily, that alleged "pro-life" activists generally don't object to the killing of doctors who perform abortions. That's not entirely true, though, and it would be silly to make such a gross generalization. Of course, those who do advocate the murder of physicians have absolutely no right to use the term, and their hypocrisy should be noted and thrown in their face at every opportunity. As should the hypocrisy of those who don't openly decry the act.

The reason why I don't think there are really "pro-life" activists, though, is simple.

If you are truly "pro-life," if you advocate the defense of life under all circumstances, you must adhere to that as a primary principle, and very few actually do (I'll get to those rare instances later).

That means opposing the termination of life:

as retributive punishment

as a means of defending oneself or ones property

as a means of spreading political ideology


These are the three primary situations, and while many may oppose capital punishment (an issue on which Mike Huckabee is consistent), very few would object to the termination of life for the starting of a war. For Christians, this is problematic, as Christianity has deep roots in spreading itself through war, and it's a problem for Republicans (where we find the most vehement in the use of the term "pro-life") who support the war in Iraq, or in any other country.

Of course, the termination of life as a means of defending oneself seems like a huge leap. It may seem like a dramatic extension of the position, but if it is true that life is sacred, then it needs to be a part of the principle that life cannot be taken by one who adheres to a truly "pro-life" position.

The position of those who wield the rhetorical title, though, is not based on the preservation of life. It does not adhere to the rhetorical position they claim to espouse, which is:

Life is sacred. Period.

What they mean to say is that the life of a fetus is as much a life as that of a full grown adult, but the fetus cannot defend itself.

This is a logical position (at least in that it is a conclusion based on premises, not in that it is logical) on which I disagree.

I do not think that the life of a fetus is equivalent to the life of a full grown individual, but this is a position that I may go into at another point. It's not so much that it's a long argument, but rather that it's an argument that deserves its own time.

My point is not that the anti-abortion lobbyists are wrong (they are, in my opinion, but that is not my point, at this particular moment).

My point is that they do not manifest the rhetorical position that they claim as their own. They embrace the title of "pro-life" happily, because it sounds great. I mean, we all agree that life is a good thing. Of course, they're not in favor of life in all circumstances.

Their position has its own logic, but they're not "pro-life."

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