Thirty-seven years after Roe v. Wade, why is abortion still such a contentious issue that often leads to extreme violence and even murder? On the next Your Call, we'll bring you a conversation Rose Aguilar had with UCSF Professor Carole Joffe, author of the new book Dispatches from the Abortion Wars: The costs of Fanaticism to Doctors, Patients, and the Rest of Us. She writes, "The abortion wars are raging in the U.S., wars on numerous fronts."
Has the pro-choice movement lost the war? Who's fighting back? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar.
Guest:
Carole Joffe, a professor at the UCSF Bixby Center's Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) Program
Click to Listen: What's the Cost of the Abortion Wars?
You and your guest seem to lack an understanding of and/or sympathy for the deep roots of evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity in the US, that believes that abortion is murder. What is "common sense" to you (us, actually) is not to them. We are not the Netherlands, a deeply secular nation. We are also not Italy, because despite the strength of the Church, secularism is much more firmly embedded in their culture than here. Europe HAD its religious wars and doesn't want any more of them.
ReplyDeleteRemember the Pilgrims and Puritans, building God's kingdom on earth; the several Great Awakenings of the 19th century; Utah!; and so on. Of course, there's the hypocrisy (Gantry et al.) and corruption, and to the secular mind, superstition and backwardness.
There is a tone here and elsewhere in our camp of condescension, I have to say it, toward these others. Sad that they don't see the obvious, benighted folks that they are. When ranged against righteous indignation, supported by doctrine that is believed to be the Word of God, who do you think wins?
We need to reframe this battle so that the real heartfelt views of good people on the other side are not discounted as ignorance or ill-will.
I thought this was one of the best shows I have heard on KALW. I was shocked to hear the story and also shocked at how underreported this topic is in general.
ReplyDeleteI too wonder why we are still talking about abortion and why there is such a strong movement against it.
I have spent some time among the fundamentalists (making two films for PBS in which they appear) and I still don't understand why this is such a touchstone for them. I think it's been easy for extremist organizers to incite people on some easy issues and this and gay marriage are two of them. They have little to do with Christianity as a religion and much more to do with socioeconomic and cultural circumstances.