On Wednesday evening Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, shared the story of her abortion to cheering crowds at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
When talking about abortion, Democratic politicians and activists usually prefer to speak euphemistically: The dismemberment or lethal poisoning of a baby who hasn’t been born yet is almost always referred to as “reproductive health care” or “a woman’s choice.” The group NARAL, once known as the National Abortion Rights Action League, went so far as to change its name to NARAL Pro-Choice America so its supporters and allies could avoid saying the a-word.
But there’s been a growing push on the left to not only defend abortion as a necessary evil that should be “safe, legal, and rare” but to celebrate it as a positive good. (See the #ShoutYourAbortion Twitter campaign of 2015.) And so on Wednesday evening, Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and told the story of the time she aborted her first child because it was an inconvenient time to become a parent.
In her speech, Ms. Hogue said,
To succeed in life, all we [women] need are the tools, the trust, and the chance to chart our own path. I was fortunate enough to have these things when I found out I was pregnant years ago. I wanted a family, but it was the wrong time. I made the decision that was best for me: To have an abortion and get compassionate care at a clinic in my own community. Now years later, my husband and I are parents to two incredible children.
On the one hand, most Americans believe abortion ought to be illegal in some or all circumstances and that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions. On the other hand, groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood are becoming more blunt and more vocal about abortion, even going so far as to insist Congress pay for abortion on demand with public dollars.
What do we make of this?
We are seeing desperation on the side of abortion advocates. Over the past four decades medical advancements have helped us gain a better understanding of pregnancy and abortion. Anyone looking at an unborn baby on an ultrasound screen today can tell they’re seeing a real person with a unique personality–not “tissue” or “a blob of cells,” as abortion advocates have claimed at times.
You may recall earlier this year NARAL went so far as to criticize a Doritos ad that ran during the Superbowl, because the ad featured an unborn baby on an ultrasound screen. NARAL called the ad, “anti-choice.”
These sorts of technological advancements are one reason abortion advocates have been forced to drop the euphemisms and ambiguities when talking about abortion.
Those defending abortion today must practically acknowledge abortion kills an unborn child. All they can do is try to justify it.
