By Rob Gasper
A recent column by feminist author Jessica Valenti took abortion-friendly politicians to task. According to Valenti, politicians like Hillary Clinton are stigmatizing abortion when they say it should be safe, legal, and rare.
The problem Valenti has with the word “rare” is that its use implies that there is something wrong with abortion. Why call for abortion to be rare if it is just another medical procedure? We don’t call for heart surgery to be rare.
I have to give Valenti credit for the logic of this position. There are really only two logically consistent positions to take regarding abortion. Abortion either kills an innocent human being or it doesn’t.
Where does rare fit into this narrow spectrum? If abortion does not kill an innocent human being, then safe and legal makes sense, but there is no reason to call for its rarity.
The only way to get Clinton’s position to work is an exercise in some sort of diabolical absurdity. Let’s try to follow this logic: Abortion must be the killing of an innocent human being, but this killing is permissible enough to call for its legality, yet it is somehow murderous enough to call for its rarity. This position basically states that sometimes murder is okay enough to make it legal, but let’s not murder too often, please.
Valenti and I are in agreement on this one point. Pushing for abortion to be rare is rubbish. Be consistent. There is no logical middle ground. Abortion is either murder or it is not.
Rob Gasper is a senior research analyst for American Life League and is the editor of ALL News.
