The Roe v. Wade Hypocrisy

With the anniversary of the (I'm supposed to say "landmark" here) abortion decision, I'll share a few of my thoughts. MediaGirl, listen up!

I think there is a certain value in turning the issue back to the states. I'm not anxious to see the procedure illegalized (quite the opposite), but letting each state decide the issue would force pro-life politicians to actually do something about abortion other than just rail about feminazis and activist judges. Reversing Roe, scary as it sounds, might help to sift out some of the bullshit surrounding the abortion issue, and that would be a good thing. Of course, it would also turn the public discourse into hell, but we're not far from that now.

What's bothering me right now is the complete and utter hypocrisy of pro-life groups who say, "It's time to turn the issue back to the states." Many of these same groups are on record supporting a right-to-life constitutional amendment that, unless I misunderstand American law, would take the issue away from the states. Either you support states' rights or you don't, and, frankly, I think these people don't. They're set on an agenda, not on a specific political philosophy.

I also note that many of the aforementioned groups are on record against birth control and comprehensive sex education (that being, of course, any education that is not abstinence-only). These are often the very conservatives who oppose government-funded daycare or other programs that would make childrearing more feasible. Therefore, they oppose using the very tools that would make abortions more rare, which tells me their agenda is larger that merely stopping abortion. They want to institute an entire regimen of sexual morality, and not one by which most Americans would really want to live.

I know for certain there are pro-lifers out there who aren't interested in a return to Victorian-era sexual mores, and I can respect that stance even if I don't agree with it. I have no respect for those who cloak a sweeping moral agenda in the vestments of concern for the unborn.