Chan Lowe: "Personhood"
One of the advantages⎯or, maybe, curses⎯of getting older is that wisdom enables you to better appreciate where people with opinions at odds with your own are coming from.
You still may not agree with them, but your respect for their point of view grows as you realize that the world is a much more complex place than you ever imagined. Maybe this is why older folks are so much angrier than the young about our politicians’ inability to compromise with each other and find a path forward that is best for the country.
I am in sympathy with the ultimate goal of the right-to-life movement, which is to eliminate abortions. Who isn’t? Nobody is pro-death. Every abortion represents a failure and a tragedy. What is still somewhat puzzling is that in their zeal, pro-lifers are willing to go to any lengths, including oppressive government intrusion into the lives of individuals, to achieve their aspirations.
In many cases, these are the same people who want government to keep its hands off their firearms, and to stop preventing kids from praying in school.
Maybe they feel that this life-or-death issue is such a moral imperative that libertarian ideals ought to be thrown to the winds (listen to any schizophrenic speech that includes the subjects of liberty and Roe v. Wade by Michele Bachmann). And many of these pro-lifers are the same people who cheered from the audience when Gov. Rick Perry was described as the killingest governor in Texas history (I was wrong. Some people are pro-death).
The inconsistency leaves me scratching my head…but as I said earlier, I’ve developed a broader concept of where people are coming from.
And even though it still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, I’m beginning to get it.
CHAN LOWE has been the Sun Sentinel’s first and only editorial cartoonist for the past twenty-six years. Before that, he worked as cartoonist and writer for the Oklahoma City Times and the Shawnee (OK) News-Star.
Comments
Unfortunately, you've got it essentially right. So long as you're in the womb, your life is sacred--never mind if you're truly a human being at the point of conception--but once you're out, you're on your own.
BTW, by this logic, can a woman who miscarries be charged with involuntary manslaughter?
Posted by: LRP | November 8, 2011 5:53 PM
Here's a question... How many fetuses get a jury of their peers? How many fetuses have been convicted of murder? Here is the difference, criminals have a chance at life and they have a chance at justice. Whereas, for a fetus, you have one judge, one jury and one executioner. Let's be fair.. If someone kills your family, let his mother decided what should happen to him..
Posted by: Brian | November 8, 2011 6:28 PM
Just think what the first human cloned from a ordinary cell will bring us: Every cell in every human body is obviously a person.
Posted by: Tom | November 8, 2011 7:18 PM
until human beings learn the true value of all life they should not be creating more life. abortion isn't the problem. irresponsible people are the problem.
Posted by: give me a liberal break | November 9, 2011 2:20 PM