Mitt and McCain hypocrites on abortion

January 21st, 2008 at 12:49pm Pat Cunningham

 

Say what you will about Mike Huckabee and his theocratic tendencies. At least the guy is more  consistent than the other Republican front-runners on the issue of abortion.

Huckabee is against all abortions, while Mitt Romney and John McCain would make exceptions in cases of rape and incest. But such exceptions make no sense.

If abortion is immoral because it’s the taking of innocent life, how does the morality change in a case of rape or incest? Is the fetus in such a case somehow not innocent?

The hypocrisy on this score arises, it seems to me, from purely political considerations. Most people shudder at the thought of a woman having to bring a fetus to full-term in a case of rape or incest. And most politicians are loathe to buck majority sentiment on the matter. So much for the sincerity of their pro-life positions.

Another question: If a fetus is a person, and abortion is the unwarranted killing of that innocent person, why don’t any of the pro-life candidates favor a law under which the mother would be charged with murder?

The answer to that question, of course, is that taking such a position likely would be political suicide. Most Americans don’t want women who get abortions to be prosecuted as murderers.

Nor is there any consistency of logic in making an exception for an abortion to save the life of the mother. In his book “Papal Sin,” author Garry Wills argues: “If the fetus and the mother have equal status as persons, the natural and not the inflicted death should be preferred,” if you’re going to be morally and logically consistent about it.

Then, too, the candidates should be required to square their anti-abortion positions with the belief among some folks — orthodox Catholics, for example — that the so-called morning-after pill is an abortifacient. Are any of these pols willing to call for a ban on morning-after pills? Are they willing to call for murder charges against women who take such pills? If not, why not?

The politicians should be required to explain in detail their opinions on just when life starts and when, if ever, it’s permissible to end such life and what penalties should be imposed for violations of any limits that are enacted into law. Questions like that would prompt the Republican candidates, I’m sure, to squirm and dance and tie themselves into ideological knots.

 

Entry Filed under: Garry Wills, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee