The debate over the issue of abortion has been defined in terms that polarize and divide, and we often choose to ignore it and not be bothered. Any questions can be met with slogans and sayings that end discussion.
A very interesting debate over abortion referrals has been taking place in Ireland. Maire Geoghegan-Quinn best described the situation when she said in the Dail (Irish parliament), "If you describe yourself as pro-choice the people who hold the opposing view see you as wicked, as criminal, as sinful and as anti-human. If you describe yourself as pro-life the people who hold the opposing view see you as anti-woman, anti-civil rights, anti-liberty. There are very few issues that so polarize people, very few that so completely stop us listening to each other, very few that allow us to make such damning judgments about each other."
One of the most recent flare-ups of this division can be seen in the nomination of Dr. Henry W. Foster for Surgeon General and the ensuing debate, which has died down somewhat, but remains as a possible disruptive force in the confirmation hearings which have yet to take place. Pro-lifers protested his nomination on the grounds of his role in performing abortions and the ensuing public relations cover-up by the Clinton administration. The response to this wave of protest was utterly predictable and pathetically lackluster, at least until the pro-abortion lobbies turned the screw on Clinton and his administration.
To many, it would seem as if there were nothing for pro-lifers to protest; after all, wasn't Foster simply carrying out legal medical procedures? This "answer" appears to be sound, but it does nothing to address the issue at hand.
The problem is not only that he performed abortions, ending human life, but also that the abortions were legal in the first place. Blurring the distinction between legality and morality does not get rid of the distinction.
Of course, the next response can also be anticipated: The dreaded "imposition of morality" on everybody else. It is a politician's favorite: "I believe that abortion is wrong, but who am I to impose my morality on those who disagree?"
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this argument is that most people take it seriously. We react with horror when an abortionist (or anyone for that matter) is gunned down. If someone were to ask you to respect the gunman's right to do what he did and tolerate his right to act on his beliefs, would you take that person seriously? Condemning a killing is a moral judgment that you have made; now please don't impose it on everyone else.
Who is being imposed upon anyway? In the situation described above, the slain abortionist was definitely imposed upon. The baby in the womb is one of the victims in an abortion, and the abortionist is doing more than making a moral judgment on this baby.
Foster's nomination is an important issue in that it reflects President Clinton's views on what type of person to elevate as a leader and example. We can do better. The protest against his nomination is not simply righteous. The fight against abortion is not just righteous. Pro-lifers are more than righteous. We are right.
