Americans More Pro-Life Than Ever Before

According to a new Gallup poll, more Americans are calling themselves pro-life than ever before. However, the poll points out there is no corresponding rise in the belief abortion is morally wrong. It rationalizes--oddly, I might add--that partisanship is to blame. As near as I can translate, Barack Obama is pro-choice, therefore his opponents want nothing to do with the label.

Setting aside any subtle hits of racial motivations for calling oneself pro-life within that rationale, I still think t is far off.

There is an increasing trend, presumably because being pro-choice is the litmus test for enlightened intellectualism, for people to fudge their answer to the question of how they feel about abortion. I suspect most people would say they find abortion morally wrong, but do not think it should be illegal. Pretty much a useless answer, but it does allow one to more or less consider themselves pro-life.

The thing that irks me is respondents who do say that think they are taking a principled stand. Their priorities are skewered. Women want to say they are pro-choice because they do not want to relinquish “control over their own bodies” while men support abortion rights to avoid beig labeled chauvinists. Or, if you are inclined to be cynical, they do not want to be o the hook for paternity.

It boil down to preserving personal freedom which is rated morally higher than preserving life of the unborn. So it seems more likely there is not a corresponding rise in the belief abortion is morally wrong because the iea that limiting abortion rights is more morally wrong. Although I think many people are squeamish about believing that, but society forces them to keep it to themselves.