HuffPo: ‘We Can Have Morally Good Abortions’

While it’s almost nice to hear a pro-abortion argument that isn’t some version of the “Keep Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries” shriek, Huffington Post blogger Donna Schaper’s contention – that abortion is moral – isn’t any more effective, and it's rather more insulting.

The left-wing United Church of Christ minister recently argued that “Abortion can be a highly moral choice for a woman.” Surprised? You’re not alone. The post is titled, “Most Women Under 40 Haven't Heard the Pro-choice Moral Argument [1].” Perhaps because there isn’t one – or if there is, it’s not the one Schaper made in her piece.

 Schaper referred to the Hobby Lobby contraception mandate case reaching the Supreme Court [2] next year, and lamented, “It is sad as well to see the constant struggle – now initiated by a toy and hobby company – about women being choice making human beings.”

She speculated, “What is it about women that the religious right can’t tolerate? Is it that important for us to be sub-human? Do that many people really think of women as toys or hobbies or second-class citizens?” And the business owners who must purchase [3] employees’ contraception against their conscience are what?

As for her “moral” argument, Schaper explained, “To restrict a woman’s choice is to refuse her soul freedom.” She continued, “We can have morally good abortions because we are human beings, with God-given rights to human agency, just like men.” But not babies.

By this standard, any murder can be morally good just because the murderer (male or female) is a human being, with God-given rights to human agency. It’s a complete inversion of morality – using the gifts of God as justification for nihilistic act of obliterating a life.

Her phrasing only became more and more fascinating, “Mandatory childbearing makes the woman a hostage to the will of others – those unfamiliar with her story, her life experience and her needs, and may have disastrous consequences for the children.” Of course, “mandatory childbearing” is meaningless, because sex is not mandatory (cases of rape aside.)

“The distortion of our faiths to anti-woman and anti-scientific and anti-medical rhetoric proves catastrophic for women and children and their families.” (“Catastrophic,” of course, includes everything but the murder of women, children and families – in the womb.) She concluded, “This argument demeans the sexuality of women and treats them like children with adult bodies.”

Actually, calling for women to pay for their own contraception sounds a lot like treating them like big girls. As does asking adults – big boys and girls both – who thoughtlessly create life not to thoughtlessly destroy it.

“Our faith tradition teaches freedom for religion and freedom from religion,” she noted. “To privilege one spiritual belief over another violates religious freedom.” Then it’s convenient that Schaper apparently has no spiritual beliefs – at least none that she can’t press into the service of her agenda. “Theocratic legislation,” she squabbled, “is neither Baptist nor, fundamentally, American.”

Whoah! This woman is hell on straw men! There is no theocratic legislation in question. Hobby Lobby is suing to be excluded from a secular law that would compel the company to violate its religious convictions. The secular state is the aggressor here, creating rights that never before existed and insisting they impinge on rights that positively did exist as guaranteed by our founding documents.

“Consenting adults are free to decide whether or not to have sex. Consenting adults are free to have sex that is not procreative. The state should not dictate reproductive decisions, either in favor of or in opposition to carrying a child to term.” Which, again, is not at issue in the current case.

But hey, at least we learned the moral case for abortion: it’s all about what I want, when I want, how I want.

The Huffington Post’s isn’t alone in supporting the HHS mandate, between The Washington Post misleading on public opinion of the contraception mandate [4] and ABC warning job-searchers about pro-life bosses [2].