Michael New, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Alabama has written an important piece over at Public Discourse. Dr. New writes:
During the past 35 years, the pro-life movement has made some real progress--progress that pro-lifers could at times do a better job of advertising. During the 1990s more states enacted parental-involvement laws, waiting periods, and informed-consent laws. More importantly, the number of abortions has fallen in 12 out of the past 14 years and the total number of abortions has declined by 21 percent since 1990. These gains are largely due to pro-life political victories at the federal level in the 1980s and at the state level in the 1990s, both of which have made it easier to pass pro-life legislation. Furthermore, since the next President may have the opportunity to nominate as many as four justices to the Supreme Court, the right-to-life movement would be very well advised to stay the course in 2008.
Read the entire articles HERE.
2 comments:
Todd,
So you know I am going to have issue with this article, right? It is really very poorly executed social science at best. For instance, New states "...These gains are largely due to pro-life political victories at the federal level in the 1980s and at the state level in the 1990s.." A social scientist would be asking what other factors might affect the abortion rate beside legislation?...education, awareness of STDs? availability of condoms and other forms of birth control? etc.
New seems to be taking all of the credit for legislation...If abortions went down in PA did they go up in NJ, NY, DE, MD, and OH? When we read these articles these are the questions we should be asking...not believing what we want to believe.
An example of how legislation can skew these facts is to look at Irish laws passed in the early 1980's that ease previous restrictions on abortion...guess what? the abortion rate went up in Ireland...not because more Irish women were seeking abortion but because they no longer had to travel to England to get it.
I am not against restrictive abortion laws...but to use this poorly constructed social science is not the rationale to go about it.
I hope New is right, but it makes no difference really.
Whether abortions increase, decrease or stay the same has NOTHING to do with whether abortion should be against the law in the US.
Abortion IS illegal. It is an illegal activity (murder) of the most innocent. I know in a post-modern mind we can have murder be illegal and abortion legal, just shows the folly of "post-modernism".
Abortion IS unconstitutional. It violates the civil rights of the most innocent citizens - it is allowed due to an unconstitutional act by the Supreme Court of the US.
Abortion causes deep emotional, spiritual and psychological damage to the individuals and to the nation as a whole. Our corporate conscience is seared deeply. We will continue to reap the social destruction.
Most importantly, it is an offense against God. God will not be mocked. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
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