New Gallup poll on abortion: Those perceived as most aggressive lose?
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The pendulum has swung back.
For the last 2 years Gallup’s annual poll asking the question, “With respect to the abortion issue, would you consider yourself to be pro-choice or pro-life?” swayed our way.
This year it didn’t. What does it mean?
My pro-life friends elsewhere pointed to positive data from the same poll indicating that despite the aforementioned, we have made gains: 51% of Americans consider abortion morally wrong and 61% of Americans think abortion should be illegal in most or all circumstances….
This could be why, as Dave Andrusko at National Right to Life notes:
The headline is a useful starting point:
Far too often most attention is paid to the response to the basic Gallup question….
But, as veteran Gallup analyst Lydia Saad points out… [w]hen you get people fuller, more nuanced options, it turns out that “61% now preferring that abortion be legal in only a few circumstances or no circumstances.” Only 37% want abortion legal in all or most circumstances.
Thus Saad properly concludes, “Americans are rather conservative in their stance on abortion.”
Joe Carter at First Things agrees the 61% is “the key finding,” adding:
“Pro life” or “pro choice” are political terms that are subject to interpretation. For example, if someone wants abortion outlawed except for life of the mother, incest, or rape, is that person pro life? Or is he/she pro choice? Which to choose when answering a poll is in the eye of the beholder (as it were).
And this, I think, may explain the shift in ideological identification on abortion. In 2009 (and 2010) Gallup blamed Obama’s pro-abortion aggression in part for the pro-life lurch:
With the 1st pro-choice president in 8 years already making changes to the nation’s policies on funding abortion overseas, expressing his support for the Freedom of Choice Act, and moving toward rescinding federal job protections for medical workers who refuse to participate in abortion procedures, Americans… seem to be taking a step back from the pro-choice position….
It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public’s understanding of what it means to be “pro-choice” slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction.
In 2010 Republicans took control of the US House and won a majority in state legislatures and governorships. Subsequently pro-life legislation has taken the country by storm. Perhaps those in the mushy middle are uncomfortable with our sudden forward movement. They don’t pay attention to the specifics, just know something’s up and don’t trust us not to push things too far.
Or they’ve heard pro-abort slant on our gains, such as this from RH Reality Check:
So what has likely caused this shift in the public perception of abortion? No doubt it’s the overreaching of the anti-abortion movement in the past year, from attempting to force women who are raped to carry their attacker’s child to forcing mandatory counseling, ultrasounds and wait periods, to anti-child positions like pulling family planning and prenatal care from low income women.
This may be ridiculous spin to us but not to those who don’t closely follow the issue. The heartening news is we appear to be slowly winning the moral argument against abortion.
But those conflicted on abortion may not want to be identified with the side that appears too aggressive, at this point, us. Whichever term is considered politically incorrect or uncomfortable at the moment is the loser, despite the belief.
So at present we know there are more of those who are pro-life in their hearts- they just don’t want to be called pro-life.
A classic example of what I mean is a recent quote by actress Kristen Stewart. Stewart plays Bella in the Twilight movie series, and in the next film, Breaking Dawn, Bella determines to carry her baby, fathered by a vampire, even if it kills her. Picking up on that, from Entertainment Weekly:
On one of the most anticipated scenes described in the final book – the birth of Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella’s… baby, Renesmee… Stewart says, “This could really happen to anyone my age. I mean, maybe not the whole vampire thing, but everything else. It didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, how could you have possibly played this? It’s so beyond your years!’ It’s like, ‘Not really, dude. I could get f—ing get pregnant tomorrow.”
Stewart also defends her character’s choice to keep the baby, even though it threatened Bella’s life. “I’m so on Bella’s side,” she says. “The idea of destroying something they made together that could never happen again…. It has nothing to do with the pro-life thing. I just love the idea of her fighting.
No. Stewart’s beliefs have everything to do with the “pro-life thing.” She absolutely gets the miracle of uniquely created human life, and her maternal instincts are repulsed at the thought of “destroying” it. Stewart is pro-life. She just doesn’t want to be identify herself as pro-life.
That, I think, is the takeaway from Gallup’s 2011 poll.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
“So at present we know there are more of those who are pro-life in their hearts- they just don’t want to be called pro-life.”
Then those folks are moral and social cowards. No time anymore for playing it safe, sitting on the fence, trying to live on both sides. The time has long since past for people to clear the mud out of their beliefs and gather their courage. Either the child in the womb is a human being or not. Either you believe it is okay to kill a defenseless human being or you don’t. It really is that simple.
This is good news! I blogged it at Satan’s Blog (http://wp.me/p14HPl-R3). Don’t worry — it’s Christian satire in the spirit of CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters. Search on “abortion” and see many, many posts you will like.
“My pro-life friends elsewhere pointed to positive data from the same poll indicating that despite the aforementioned, we have made gains: 51% of Americans consider abortion morally wrong and 61% of Americans think abortion should be illegal in most or all circumstances….”
That’s an interesting definition of “gain” you have, considering those numbers were both 56% two years ago.
“Then those folks are moral and social cowards.”
Or maybe the people in your movement carrying around giant pictures of fetuses and loitering in front of clinics have done such damage to the label “pro-life” as to make it something embarrassing to identify with, even for people who don’t very much like abortion?
I loved that quote from Stewart too when I read it. Unfortunately I don’t think she does get the uniqueness of every human life. At the very least we can’t tell from the quote since she is talking about a human-vampire hybrid that literally could never happen again. I have a feeling that in a human scenario she might be more likely to say that you could always get pregnant again, not recognizing the destruction of that particular unique creation. Maybe I’m wrong though – and I definitely give her kudos for sticking up for her character b/c Melissa Rosenberg (the screenwriter) was publicly gagging over having to write this scene. But don’t get me started on her.
@Joan “Or maybe the people in your movement carrying around giant pictures of fetuses and loitering in front of clinics have done such damage to the label “pro-life” as to make it something embarrassing to identify with, even for people who don’t very much like abortion?”
Thats obviously NOT the issue. Even pro-choice people admit that pro-lifers are winning this war through the state battles. America is clearly pro-life which is why we elected a landslide of pro-life lawmakers last election. We are frankly tired of a few vocal ant-lifers getting their way.
Also, you need to ask yourself why those “fetus” pictures eat at you so much. Could it be that it shows the truth and you don’t like the truth?
“Thats obviously NOT the issue. Even pro-choice people admit that pro-lifers are winning this war through the state battles. America is clearly pro-life which is why we elected a landslide of pro-life lawmakers last election. We are frankly tired of a few vocal ant-lifers getting their way.”
I don’t admit any such thing. And today’s landslide might go the other way tomorrow. Frankly, other than this site, I don’t see much discussion around the abortion issue. It’s pretty settled.
@Hal ”We are always monitoring a huge number of anti-choice laws,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which challenges antiabortion laws. “But what we are seeing this year is some of the most extreme restrictions, and they are passing at a rather sharp clip.” Article in the LA times.
and…. “It’s just altogether different than what we’ve seen in past years, really designed to immediately limit access in ways that we haven’t seen,” said Elizabeth Nash, public policy director at the Washington-based Guttmacher Institute. palm Beach Post.
and….. “We’re seeing an unprecedented level of bills that would have a serious impact on women’s access to abortion services that very possibly could become law,” said Rachel Sussman, senior policy analyst for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ABC news.
There are plenty more where those came from.
Type this into google “ wave of anti abortion laws at state levels” and you will find many more.
Hal,
I agree with you that polls and public opinion can be fickle – polls saying one thing today can change tomorrow.
However, there are plenty of other sites discussing the pro-life issue, whether you see them or not.
I think that, until we see next year’s data, the question of whether or not this particular year’s results are a minor roadbump or the beginning of a trend is one that can not be answered either way. Two years ago was the first time Gallup ever polled a pro-life majority, and it was only a fractional one. Last year, while that hadn’t changed, the word fractional still applied. No trend line ever goes linearly up or down the graph, so a minor fall towards a pro-abortion position (whether that is semantics or not), is not unusual.
If you look at the trendlines from the time Gallup started polling on abortion, you can see that there is an undeniable overall upward trend towards the pro-life position. And even during those periods where the pro-life side was trending downwards, it never went down nearly so fast as it did up. This suggests that pro-lifers tend to “flip” on this issue much less than pro-choicers do, and that the people who have yet to firmly take a side much more eagerly embrace life than they do abortion. At the very least it suggests that pro-aborts market themselves really badly.
If there’s still not a pro-life majority next year, then I may worry. As it stands, I expected that a pro-abortion majority would be polled at least one more year before the country got pro-life enough to stay that way for good.
Frankly, other than this site, I don’t see much discussion around the abortion issue. It’s pretty settled.
You don’t live in the U.S., do you?
That’s hilarious: a troll comes here on a regular basis even though he swears this is not an issue. Riiiiight.
This reminds me very much of two other social changes: feminism and smoking. While most women didn’t like the ‘feminist’ label because they didn’t want to be considered ugly (as feminists were portrayed in the media), women did want equal opportunities and better pay.
And while a lot of people didn’t smoke themselves, as a former smoker, I saw a lot of sympathy from non-smokers as restrictions got tighter and tighter. Still, despite the sympathy of friends and coworkers, smoking has become increasingly less popular and less tolerated. Back when I first entered the job market, interviewers had ashtrays on their desks, lots of employees smoked at their desks. Young people find it hard to believe.
Abortion fans may feel very complacent and feel that the footholds gained on the state level don’t concern them too much. But abortion is not gaining in popularity. Numbers are down. Planned Parenthood’s numbers have increased, but only because they are taking a bigger portion of a shrinking pie. People who are enjoying their children and their pregnancies are poking a big hole in abortion’s hugest and most useful lie: the baby isn’t anything. Well it is. My facebook newsfeed is full of ultrasound pictures from thrilled parents. Now, while abortion fans see that and cry foul for all the women who are horrified to become pregnant, they can’t stifle the emerging picture of the developing child: he is alive, he is wondrous, he is beautiful. The youngest generation is seeing ultrasounds of their siblings and themselves. As they pass through puberty, more and more will not be able to be indoctrinated that the developing child is less than human.
Polls notwithstanding, the abortion industry is dying. Eventually it will be gone, gone like the ashtrays at work are now gone, and children will not believe their elders when they hear of it.
Some Guy – Hal does live in the US. It’s also likely he’s retained as an attorney by PPA or an affiliate, or would like to retain them in the future. Take that into consideration. Very rarely do lawyers who come down solid on issues if it means less potential clients.
Hal – you must not have checked out YouTube – it’s rather crazy the amount of discussion that’s happening there. Also, just about any place there is free and open discussion about the issue, you’ll find it seriously and deeply discussed. However, there are places where any word against abortion is quickly and silently removed.
ok, guys. Wake me up when abortion is illegal.
LOL!! I love complacent, sleepy abortion fans; it makes my job easier!!
We’ll do that Hal. You just keep sleeping.
Hal – I did notice that you didn’t answer the question posed to you directly by Deanna:
Also, you need to ask yourself why those “fetus” pictures eat at you so much. Could it be that it shows the truth and you don’t like the truth?
I am always interested by pro-aborts who are bothered by the pictures of aborted fetuses. If there’s nothing wrong with abortion, these images shouldn’t be an issue. After all, it’s just a lump of tissue or a blob of cells… it’s not a dead baby, right?
Laura – That is a stupid question. Those pictures in no way represent what an actual modern abortion looks like. Not even close. Most of those pictures are not even from this country. Furthermore I would be just as disgusted if you were holding up signs of open heart surgery. Nobody wants to see that. Pro-choice people could be just as crude and disgusting as you people hold the nasty signs if we were to sink to your level. Heck we could change a lot of young girl’s minds about living through child birth if we stood outside a CPC with 6 foot pictures of a torn vagina and after birth. That would scare off young women and give children nightmares… but we don’t do that as it is way over the top and turns people off to our cause.
Biggz, could you please show me a picture of a living human fetus at 8-10wks post conception, and a picture of a dead human fetus at that same age who died as a result of modern abortion?
I want to believe you that the signs prolifers use are inaccurate, but I’ll need some visual evidence from a reputed medical source. Thanks.
Bigzz “Those pictures in no way represent what an actual modern abortion looks like.”
Are you seriously going to try that argument? Those pictures very much represent modern abortions in the USA .
Just what is it exactly that you think a “fetus”looks like after it gets sucked through a vacuum hose or dismembered, crushed head and all? What, do you think they do exactly? A nice abortion that keeps the skin all smooth with the baby’s hair combed? Come on now!
To answer the question “This year it didn’t. What does it mean?” which was posed – I don’t think it means a whole lot. It is generally recognised that polls have a variability factor of plus or minus 4%. So zero or minor changes in results could actually fail to show a small change in either direction.
Deanna – It is a fetus not a baby. Most of the pictures I have seen are staged or from Africa. Can you tell me where those pictures were taken and how much you guys paid for them? I didn’t think so. Whenever you see a picture of a fetus draped over American money you are looking at a staged picture made to make a political statement. Last time I checked a 25 cent piece is not a medical instrument. I have also seen a picture of a fetus burned black and rotting that was taken in Africa.
Your pictures…
http://www.abortionaccess.info/abortedfetuses.htm
The real pictures…
http://www.abortionaccess.info/abortionpictures.htm
That is what a modern abortion looks like… Funny I never see you guys holding up these pictures… Stop lying and do your own research Deanna.
I’m not sure why the name calling was needed, but thank you for answering – it’s the blood and gore you disapprove of – I get that. Don’t know why asking it was stupid, and if it was stupid, why you bothered to answer… whatever.
Do you see many “modern” abortions? What does “modern” mean? Have they changed things since I quit working at a clinic 20 years ago? The abortions I saw looked pretty much like those signs. 4-5 weeks is VERY different than the 20wk ones done at the clinic by my house.
Lastly, what difference does it make where, geographically speaking, the pictures are from? If they are abortions, then they’re equally repulsive. IF they’re fake, they’re equally abhorrent. Just not sure why that figures in at all. Or are these also stupid questions?
Thanks, Biggz. But those pictures are not the same geststional age I asked for. I purposely want pictures from the fetal stage of our development, and those examples were of the embryonic stage of our development.
I haven’t seen much of the quarter picures you describe. I’ve seen more living fetal pictures taken from ultrasounds and the national geographic special, etc.
As far as pictures of dead human fetuses go, what do you think of the photos of aborted boys and girls taken after the arrest of Kermit Gosnell? I realize those little ones were older fetuses, but I’m wondering what you thought of the news photos, which obviously weren’t the result of prolife activism.
I’m honestly inquiring here, just trying to understand whose pictures are real, etc.
By the way – the link you provide Biggz http://embryo.soad.umich.edu/carnStages/carnStages.html shows an 8 wk embryo that – well, looks pretty much like a baby – albeit a tiny one. Did you look at the links you posted?
Nice try Bigzz. Just because a pro-abortion website says the pics aren’t real doesn’t mean it’s true. Personally I believe the many clinic workers who have commented on it on this link , these comments are documented. Also, that one pic of the 5-6week fetus may be accurate for that particular one, but what about a 10 week, 12 week, 15 week, 20 week, 24 week? If our pics are fake like you accuse then lets see the real ones?You can’t minimize abortion by showing a 5 week abortion at a distance. We aren’t buying, sorry. Also, you said, it’s a fetus, not a baby. I get so tired of hearing that same line over and over and over again. Fetus is simply what it is called before it is born. What it is called changes. What it IS does not change. If it is a baby 2 seconds after it was born it’s a baby two seconds before it was born. You can call it a hamster if you like but it still won’t change what it is. http://clinicquotes.com/site/story.php?id=25
So, Biggz, I’ve been poking around the links on the abortionaccess site. One link ‘when does the fetus become human’ is broken. Another 2 links redirected to more info on the same (non-neutral) site. Yet another link shows fetal development pictures and repeatedly refers to humans in the fetal stage (18 wks!) as embryos. If I used info from this site in a paper I wouldn’t be taken seriously.
I’m sure it’s not your fault, and it’s not your site, Biggz. But can you point me to a site that is more neutral, with a bit better credentials?
I’m still honestly looking for (real) photos of 1) living humans in the fetal stage [roughly 8-10wks post-conception] and 2) dead human fetuses as a result of modern abortions done in the developed world.
Laura – That’s not a stupid question. The reason that it makes a difference where the procedure was performed is simple. Would you like to get laser eye surgery in Pakistan? If you did would it look the same or be as safe as in a hospital in the USA or England? Could you imagine what the pictures of a hysterectomy performed in Cambodia would look like… The education level of the doctor and the cleanliness and modern equipment of the clinic are all relevant to the level of care given.
Mary Ann – Most abortion in the USA are done at that stage of development. Most aborted fetuses in America are done in the first couple weeks and it really is just a tiny clump of cells. In fact the less developed the country the older the average age of fetus that are aborted. Gosnell is the worst of the worst in the USA and a shining example of why we need low-income places like PP “as you know Gosnell’s clinic was not a PP clinic” so that the less fortunate women among us are not subjected to the likes of him and his 1920’s methods. The pictures from his clinic were sickening and the very reason abortion was made legal in the first place. It was not so women could have all the sex they want it was so women in a crisis did not have to go to a Gosnell like doctor in the back of a cargo van somewhere.
As for the name calling, those pictures anti-choice people hold up are just lies on poster board and anyone defending those lies is also guilty of lying to young girls and the public in general.
“Very rarely do lawyers who come down solid on issues if it means less potential clients.”
Is that true? I’ve never known that to be the case, and I worked as a paralegal for a while. They kept their personal opinions out of the office and took on work regardless of their personal feelings on issues, so I had no real clue what most people’s solid stances were, but most lawyers I know personally rather than professionally have fairly solid stances on most political issues. Moreso than my other friends, on a percentage basis, I think.
They might not attach a first and last name to those stances in a very public forum, but Hal hasn’t done that [here] to my knowledge.
Epic Fail.
The abortion fan link shows 2 photos of a petri dish with a hand and some tweezers. On my computer screen, it is smaller than life size, which means my own hand is much larger than the photo that appears on my screen. So, your fan site shows a small photo that is not a close up. Second, the 3rd photo on your fan page shows a fetus only slightly older and this time it’s supposed to be from an ectopic pregnancy. Now, EVERYBODY KNOWS that pro-lifers do not oppose the treatment of an ectopic pregnancy and do NOT confuse it with an elective abortion. Further, your fan page’s 3rd example includes an enlarged photo and an actual size photo.
So what our abortion fan is trying to prove by his fan page is that if you don’t magnify the photos and you rinse away the blood, and print the photos small enough… they find it easier to accept.
I consider this another EPIC FAIL on the part of abortion fans to make their case. Not that they could ever make a case. They can’t. That’s the whole point.
Biggz – so abortion is only awful if it’s done in less than ideal conditions? Still not sure why this matters. It may matter to the mother, but the results of a 12 week aborted fetus are the same. I’ve never seen a pro-life sign with a perferated uterus as the result of an abortion done in Africa… that would sustain your argument. But a 12 week aborted fetus looks the same no matter where the abortion is done. I worked at a major facility in a very large city. trust me – while we never piled them on money, and perhaps the pictures were superimposed on top of cash (an awful practice I agree) the results of the abortion DO look like the pictures.
Also – according to the CDC the abortions performed under 6 weeks are actually less than 25%. Unless the cdc is lying too? http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5212a1.htm
Gotta stop arguing with the ill informed folks. My miracle baby just came home from Tball practice. I was somehow forgiven for what I did, and now I get to be a mom.
Biggz “Most aborted fetuses in America are done in the first couple weeks and it really is just a tiny clump of cells.”
U clearly did not do ur research because if u had, u would know that a woman doesn’t even miss her period until she is around 3 weeks pregnant!
Also the earliest- according to this pro-choice link- that a woman can even have an abortion is 5 weeks-not 2. http://www.fwhc.org/qa/ab-early.htm
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0100.pdf Here is the link to a government website that shows abortion stats for the year 2006. It shows that in 2006 there were 755,000 abortions done on babies less than 9 weeks. There were 487,000 abortions done on babies OLDER THAN 9 WEEKS. This is in stark contrast to your comment.
Note that abortions done on babies “less than 9 weeks” is not equal to abortions being done in “the first couple of weeks”. So even many of the 755,000 abortions done in 2006 were done on babies in the 6th, 7th, and 8th weeks.
U really should fact check Biggz. And before u name call others, u should take a long look at your own lack of basic facts and information on abortion.
So Bigzz what do you think those 487,000 fetus’ look like? All in one piece? Heads on? Arms and legs attached? or are they dismembered and covered in blood with their heads, arms and legs coming out in pieces JUST LIKE THE PICTURES SHOW? Those pictures aren’t lies. They are more truth than you want to admit.
So Bigzz, this um, fetus, product of conception, pregnancy, was born at 25 weeks. Is it a baby or not?
http://www.examiner.com/young-and-famous-in-national/josie-duggar-rushed-back-to-hospital-after-preemie-health-scare
Read a modern medical text book on abortion procedures or better read testimonies from former abortionists on the Life site news website.
As a pro-life advocate who has prayed outside planned parenthood I’ve seen radical evangelical groups verbally harass the workers/volunteers on the religious issue. Not only is it a huge turn off because it violates their right to believe in whatever they wish but I think does incredible damage than good. you cannot convert another by the same tactics: hate and anger. Sorry to burst any bubbles but one cannot force another to have a change of heart only God can do that. Prayer works! I know because my mother prayed for me for years. I’m no longer a pro-choice liberal and I’ve returned to my faith.
I’ve seen some weird things like fake bloody dolls being nailed to crosses, small caskets, to people shouting bible verses, etc..no wonder pro-choice thinks we’re nuts. I say stick to prayer, and offer side walk counseling.
I don’t go to pp anymore because I don’t feel safe. I’m not interested in being pressured into joining another faith and I don’t like seeing others being harassed and screamed at with mis-quoted bible verses.
If you do this please stop and think how many people you actually turned away from God and from having a changed heart.
Kris – thanks for the stats that are over 5 years old….
Deanna – I told you before once you are born you are an independent living human baby. That first breath of life is a wonderful moment.
Ninek – If you can’t see the truth right before your face I don’t know what else I can do for you… You asked for real pictures of abortion, it is not my fault that they look nothing like the “Nightmare on Elm St.” pictures you guys keep trying to pass as real…
88% of all abortions in the US happen in the first 12 weeks. With an ever increasing number of them being morning after pill induced, those pictures of tiny clumps of cells are all that comes out. This is what the abortion experience is becoming in America and it is safer than invasive surgery. Also you guys need to realize that Fetuses are not torn apart just because… A fetus is only dismembered to prevent further damage to the patient’s body and most abortions do not require it as they happen before the fetus is large enough.
Sorry for throwing out a casual phrase so flippantly… I need to remember that the normal operating procedure around here is to attack every minor detail as inaccurate so you don’t have to acknowledge the substance of the comment.
Biggz “Kris – thanks for the stats that are over 5 years old….”
If my stats are outdated or inaccurate (as yours clearly were) in any way Biggz, I’d looove for u to show me the correct stats. Provide me w/a link Biggz as I did 4 u.
You won’t because there isn’t any. U R not intellectually honest enough to admit that your remark that the majority of abortions are done “in the first couple weeks” was totally false.
I’ll be waitiiiiiiing. :)
Biggz: “ Also you guys need to realize that Fetuses are not torn apart just because… A fetus is only dismembered to prevent further damage to the patient’s body and most abortions do not require it as they happen before the fetus is large enough.”
Oh great. I feel so much better now. I just thought they were dismembering babies for sh@*ts and giggles.
Kris: U R not intellectually honest enough to admit that your remark that the majority of abortions are done “in the first couple weeks” was totally false.
Well, that “U R” pretty well messes it all up. Why not just type “you are”? Don’t even have to hit the “Shift” key. Ay yi yi…
But yeah, it’s not in the first 2 weeks. I do know that well over half are done prior to 9 weeks after the last missed menstrual period, so what is that for the embryo – less than 7 weeks? And, as I said it’s well over half. Don’t know were the exact “half” point comes down, but looks like it would be around 6 or 5 weeks for the embryo.
Bigzz “A fetus is only dismembered to prevent further damage to the patient’s body and most abortions do not require it as they happen before the fetus is large enough.”
So, you’re saying that getting sucked up into a high powered vacuum is easier than dismemberment?
” I told you before once you are born you are an independent living human baby. That first breath of life is a wonderful moment.”
I guess so. In your world it’s the only thing keeping a baby from getting their head whacked off !
When asked if I am “Pro-Life”, I always say, “Yes!”, because I AM Pro-Life. If the person gets more specific, they may learn that I support a woman’s right to abortion in cases of rape, incest, fetal deformity, and if the woman’s health or life is in jeopardy if the pregnancy is not terminated. I also support the “morning-after pill” and wish every abortion was performed within days after conception. Many “Pro-Lifers” would call me “Pro-Choice”. Many “Pro-Choicers” would call me “Anti-Choice”. I don’t care what anyone else labels me. The labels are really meaningless anyway, unless “Pro-Life” is defined as “No legal abortions period, no matter what the reason” and unless “Pro-Choice” is defined as “All abortions legal period, no matter what the reason”. But, I don’t know ANYONE who fits either of those definitions. Some of my “Pro-Life” friends are actually more “Pro-Choice” than some of my “Pro-Choice” friends if you start asking specifics. And, vice versa.
Hal – I did notice that you didn’t answer the question posed to you directly by Deanna:
Also, you need to ask yourself why those “fetus” pictures eat at you so much. Could it be that it shows the truth and you don’t like the truth?
That question was posed directly to Joan, not me. I don’t recall ever commenting on the “fetus” picture controversy nor indicating that they “eat at me.”