Name: Tess
Home: St. Louis
Debating Abortion
Recently slate.com had an email debate between William Saletan and Katha Pollitt--both pro-choice--about whether the left should consider the morality of abortion.
Saletan argues, "Our high rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion are a collective moral problem. If we don't want the government to tell us what to do, we'd better address the problem individually." Pollitt replies, "In our culture, the shame about accidental pregnancy is inextricable from the shame about having had sex. That disapproval of sex is one reason our record with contraception is so poor. If you're not supposed to be sexual, you don't plan for sex. You cross your fingers and hope for the best."
Their debate brought up many important issues I don't think Democrats can afford to ignore. Even as the two of them argued, I found myself agreeing with both of them.
Saletan argues, "Our high rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion are a collective moral problem. If we don't want the government to tell us what to do, we'd better address the problem individually." Pollitt replies, "In our culture, the shame about accidental pregnancy is inextricable from the shame about having had sex. That disapproval of sex is one reason our record with contraception is so poor. If you're not supposed to be sexual, you don't plan for sex. You cross your fingers and hope for the best."
Their debate brought up many important issues I don't think Democrats can afford to ignore. Even as the two of them argued, I found myself agreeing with both of them.
posted by Tess | 11:55 AM
2 Comments:
Like Tess, I found myself agreeing with both of the writers. But I also found myself DIS-agreeing with both of them. I don't understand why we should frame the issue as one of individual responsibility when so many of the roots of lack of access to contraception and sex education are socio-economic and structural. But on the other hand, I do not understand the absolutist position that we cannot express any negativity towards abortion because it stigmatizes the people who go through it. That seems to me like an argument against invoking moral claims in any public debate...since any moral claim I can think of would seem to implicate somebody.
I think our society as a whole has a hard time dealing with moral issues. We need to open up a public space for people to feel comfortable discussing morality and individual responsibility without singling out or stigmatizing any one group. (After all, if we started talking about ALL the moral issues in our society more openly--materialism, greed, military aggression, poverty, inequality, etc.--we would basically end up implicating everybody to varying degrees!) At the same time, we need to reserve public policy and legal solutions for issues that are truly social or collective, such as insuring equal access to health care (including contraception AND abortion) for all.
Ah, abortion again.
It's the one topic where there is no one between me and the furthest left you can get. It's just me, at the end of the spectrum. With this knowledge it will be no surprise to understand that I think morality is irrelevant when it comes to abortion. This stance will win me no debates, but it doesn't matter. Afterall, no one will be asking me to debate anything official anyway.
Post a Comment
<< Home