Thursday, March 28, 2024

Pro-choicers dont let people speak

On Tuesday I attended a pro-choice meeting that, from the information in The State News, I assumed to be open to the public and of general scope in content. When I calmly and quietly asked a question, I was almost immediately shut out of the discussion.
I read in The State News the following day that a candlelight vigil of pro-lifers was broken up by a smaller and much louder contingent of pro-choice demonstrators (“Abortion vigil stirs student debate,” SN 1/24).
I wasn’t surprised.
Nor was I surprised that The State News ran a very large picture of the raucous pro-choicers and photographically erased the pro-lifers.
Why do I juxtapose these two incidents? I think they illustrate the major tactic of the pro-choice movement: It will not allow the other to speak. The very basis of its argument is the denial of humanity to the unborn, so how can we expect it to see us pro-lifers as “human,” as beings worthy of attention?
Rhetoric, not reason, is the basis of its argument.
Confront pro-choice activists with the contradiction of their attempt to free women from oppression - sexism is based on dehumanization - by dehumanizing the unborn child and they have no response.
Tell them their “choice” rests on the prior protection of their humanity and they have no response.
Are pro-choicers the only ones who dehumanize? Not at all. I confronted a pro-life activist in Fort Wayne, Ind., years ago who carried a decidedly dehumanizing sign: “Abort Clinton.” His only response to my criticism was to shake his head and walk away.
I’m happy to admit that after being silenced at Tuesday’s meeting, a few pro-choice students did speak with me. Unfortunately, the sole response to the contradiction I outline above was to say we existed in different “paradigms.” I can’t really argue with such a moral relativistic response beyond pointing out the obvious: How then can we say that sexism, racism, abortion or colonialism is wrong if morality is a mere construct?
All this to ask one question: If we cannot agree that the unborn deserve respect as “persons,” can we not agree to see each other as humans, allowing for a discussion that doesn’t silence the other?

Todd Comer
English graduate student

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