48 million abortions since Roe.

Law informs conscience and educates. Overturn Roe Because it is the right thing to do.

“If you love me, keep my commandments” – Jesus

This does presume some positive feelings in human nature for a mother toward her child. But these feelings have some grounding in empirical evidence.

Naturally this argument only addresses one set of motivations for abortion. Just as some people commit crimes because they are simply angry, hurtful people, so will economic freedom not stop a woman who hates the child within her from an abortion. But there is no one factor that will.

Some people drive more carefully at a higher speed in certain conditions. The worst accident I personally witnessed was at low speed on a highway–the problem was not keeping a safe following distance. So just as speed is one but not the only correlate for safe driving, so is economic justice one but not the only correlate for preventing abortions. But then similarly neither is a law prohibiting abortion going to prevent all abortions.

The underlying philosophy is false, too. The more free you are [from constraint] the harder it will be to do “X” (where X is any immoral activity). If that was true, there would be no need for jails.
You free someone economically, religiously, politically…there is not guarantee that they are more likely to do what is right. Again, if that was true, there would be no need for coercive laws. It’s almost like saying, the higher you put the speed limit, the more careful people will drive… really? Where’s that bridge?

Some parents are easily frustrated because they expect to be able to show their children what is right by simply saying “no” to what is wrong. But thoughtful parents soon learn that it is (sometimes even easier) to replace what is wrong with something more attractive that is also good.

The whole strategy for the prolife movement should grow in this way–I believe components of it have been there from the start.

I consider myself uncompromisingly pro-life (and certainly uncompromisingly anti-abortion)–but because of this stance, I seek not only to make abortion illegal but as Buttiglione has found helpful, to make good alternatives to abortion more possible and accessible.

I suspect that both sides of the abortion debate are caught up in this fighting because there is something in our society (encouraged and amplified by the media) that supports this antagonistic war mentality.

We would all do well to reflect on how to root this war mentality out of our speech and approach to life’s most pressing questions.

Yes, the spacing between posts is regrettable… hopefully it will change. Thanks for being a faithful reader in despite of it, however!

I think you’re right on about people self-identifying with strategies – and that questioning this state of affairs can be perceived as invalidating. It is a problem, and one that really helps no one but fundraisers for groups on the extremes.