Abortion and the National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest organization of women in the United States. It is also one of the most vocal pro-choice organizations. A visit to their web site illustrates their vigilant support for legal abortion. On it you will find articles such as "US Republican Taliban Endangers Girls and Young Women," "Florida NOW takes action for Pro-Choice License Plates," and "Decision by Wal-Mart to stock Emergency Contraception 'Long Overdue.'" Indeed, the NOW web site currently contains over 50 articles on the social and political struggle over abortion. The twists and turns of every skirmish are lovingly detailed.
There is nothing wrong with an organization informing its faithful adherents about its latest political and media battles. What is shocking about the NOW website is what is missing. No where on the voluminous web site of this massive organization is a comprehensive, reason based defense of the morality of abortion.
This is surprising for two reasons. First, as the website makes clear, abortion is a highly contentious issue. If it were not, there would be no reason to post 50 articles chronicling the struggle to keep it legal. NOW should therefore be highly interested in explaining their position to others. If more people agreed with NOW, the issue would be less contentious. But how can you attract adherents to your side of a controversial issue, if you do not bother to state your reasons for your position?
Second, many women experience tremendous guilt after having an abortion. This fact was thoroughly covered in the Pro-Choice book "Bitter Fruit." NOW should be very interested in articulating a justification for abortion so as to ameliorate the guilt these women feel. Indeed, failure to address this guilt through a comprehensive defense of abortion seems unjustifiably cruel to the very women NOW claims to champion.
So why does NOW not articulate a comprehensive, reasoned defense of abortion? I hesitate to draw too many conclusions from a lack of argument. However, confidence in an argument is rarely accompanied by the refusal to express it. If NOW is going to campaign to uphold Roe, they ought to state a comprehensive argument in support of it.
A comprehensive view of the morality of abortion can be found on this web site in my essay, "Abortion, Choice and Reason." Amung other issues, it proposes a method to deal with the cultural divisions and the maternal guilt that surrounds abortion and unplanned pregnancies.
If you wish to view the NOW web site to draw your own conclusions, it can be found at http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/index.html
There is nothing wrong with an organization informing its faithful adherents about its latest political and media battles. What is shocking about the NOW website is what is missing. No where on the voluminous web site of this massive organization is a comprehensive, reason based defense of the morality of abortion.
This is surprising for two reasons. First, as the website makes clear, abortion is a highly contentious issue. If it were not, there would be no reason to post 50 articles chronicling the struggle to keep it legal. NOW should therefore be highly interested in explaining their position to others. If more people agreed with NOW, the issue would be less contentious. But how can you attract adherents to your side of a controversial issue, if you do not bother to state your reasons for your position?
Second, many women experience tremendous guilt after having an abortion. This fact was thoroughly covered in the Pro-Choice book "Bitter Fruit." NOW should be very interested in articulating a justification for abortion so as to ameliorate the guilt these women feel. Indeed, failure to address this guilt through a comprehensive defense of abortion seems unjustifiably cruel to the very women NOW claims to champion.
So why does NOW not articulate a comprehensive, reasoned defense of abortion? I hesitate to draw too many conclusions from a lack of argument. However, confidence in an argument is rarely accompanied by the refusal to express it. If NOW is going to campaign to uphold Roe, they ought to state a comprehensive argument in support of it.
A comprehensive view of the morality of abortion can be found on this web site in my essay, "Abortion, Choice and Reason." Amung other issues, it proposes a method to deal with the cultural divisions and the maternal guilt that surrounds abortion and unplanned pregnancies.
If you wish to view the NOW web site to draw your own conclusions, it can be found at http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/index.html
posted by James Belton | 9:41 PM
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