Following their impressive gains in last November's midterm elections, Republicans nationwide have been drafting legislation to make it as difficult as possible for women to attain legal abortions. This anti-abortion zeal is ostensibly fueled by their deep love and respect for human life and their desire to protect it at all costs. Paradoxically, however, this pro-life sentiment does not seem to persist after birth, for the GOP has just as doggedly tried to cut, reduce or eliminate social entitlement programs for the poor and needy. The Obama administration's efforts to expand access to private health insurance endeavors that have the practical effect of improving the quality of and sometimes saving existing lives are also under siege. Such a stance is wildly hypocritical if Republicans truly care about the sanctity of life, they should end their incessant challenges to the health care law and stop trying to cut programs focused on sustaining existing life.
Republicans have long contended that the life of a fetus is equivalent to the life of an already-born human being, and argue on that basis that such lives deserve the zealous, if invasive, protection of the government. If that is indeed the case, the GOP cannot credibly justify its widespread opposition to health care reform, which by 2014 will have expanded access to 32 million Americans that would have no other method of paying for care in the event of serious illness or injury. If the GOP has its way and repeals the law in its entirety, many of those people will die from treatable conditions and many more will live appreciably worse lives. If, as Republicans claim, there is no logical reason to differentiate between the life of a fetus and the life of a person, the uninsured deserve at least as much of Republicans' protective energies as the unborn after all, a life is a life.
Furthermore, Republicans seem content to completely ignore the implications of successful anti-abortion legislation. Many of the women who seek abortions do so because they lack the means or situation to be able to effectively care for their potential children. Their problems range from being the only responsible parent in the picture to lacking access to childcare services to simply being much too young and unprepared for the rigors of parenthood. If and when women who are seeking abortions are coerced into giving birth by Republican lawmakers (ignoring the moral implications of such acts), they will still be no better situated to deal with these challenges. If they do not receive substantial aid, both mother and child will suffer significantly for it.
Yet Republicans have long been staunch opponents of social welfare or entitlement programs that would help ease the burden on such nascent families. Since they are so concerned about fetal life, they should be equally concerned about the fate of these children once they are born and take actions that reflect this concern. After all, fetuses are no less alive once they become infants, and frankly, no less vulnerable. It is a terrible moral stain on our country that we allow so many of our children to grow in poverty and without opportunity. Any truly "pro-life" faction should be relentless in their efforts to correct this ill.
Any children born into our American community are our collective responsibility in meaningful ways. It is incumbent upon all of us to provide a safe, nurturing environment for the next generation to grow and thrive in, whether by keeping the streets safe, providing quality affordable education and health care or by providing food, clothing and shelter for the neediest kids. This collective charge is vital to the future of our country and paramount among our moral duties as citizens.
If the GOP is, as it has repeatedly shown, unwilling to give this responsibility the utmost priority if it prizes individual financial autonomy over the safety, health and well-being of all of our citizens, young and old then it should abandon its efforts to force pregnant women to give birth and bring even more children into a society too often ill-equipped to meet their needs. If Republicans are unwilling to do that, then they should drop their opposition to welfare and health care and show that their respect for life is meaningful rather than an ongoing political ploy to mobilize evangelical voters. They cannot in good conscience have it both ways. Life is either important enough to the GOP to protect in all of its stages or it's not, and the GOP must stop trying to foist the burden of parenthood onto those not ready for it.
