Forced-Birth Cowardice Strikes Again

On Sunday's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, host Martha Raddatz received the tried-and-false response to an important question posed to GOP governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota. Raddatz asked "What should the punishment for women who receive abortions or doctors and anyone who assist them?"

Republicans know they will be asked that question because it is almost as obvious as it is significant. They know what (fallacious) point to make and to pivot promptly to a different issue because their explanation is illegitimate- and they will not face a follow-up question. And so Noem responded

“I don’t believe there should be any punishment for women ever that are in a crisis situation or have an unplanned pregnancy,” Gov. Kristi Noem tells @MarthaRaddatz after South Dakota trigger law bans nearly all abortions. https://t.co/pDPFangaCI pic.twitter.com/zEi5gLBOxH

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 26, 2022

South Dakota has been "strong" on that argument because no state has decided to hold women as responsible as the doctors. Moreover, there is nothing Donald Trump likes to hear a candidate say more than the word "strong."

Trump likes "law and order" also, but even anti-choice Republicans are not so hypocritical as to trumpet law and order upon excusing the behavior of someone committing murder. And once it is prohibited as the (alleged) ending of life, it would constitute murder.

Instead, Noem and other forced-birth advocates maintain there should be no punishment for the woman bearing, then choosing to end, what they insist is a human life.  Obviously, there is a measure of political calculation because they realize that punishing a woman for a miscarriage or a surgical abortion would provoke a devastating political backlash. (Pharmaceutical abortion presents a different opportunity.)

That's something Donald Trump learned the hard way. One evening in March, 2016 he told Chris Matthews "there has to be some sort of punishment" (for the woman). Before the evening was out, his campaign would backtrack, rationalizing "the woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb."

So Kristi Noem and virtually everyone in the pro-life movement, claiming they believe human life begins at conception, will publicly deny that the individual who initiates, and pays, for that termination should be held accountable.  The cowardice of the political party which believes life starts at conception and ends at birth continues.

 

Share |