In our system, to have political power you have to win elections. Moral pea-cocking is meaningless and leads to a loss of political power and ability to influence things.
Conservative anti-abortion commentator Ann Coulter recently wrote a brilliant article titled "The New Baby Killers" calling on anti-abortion extremists to learn to take half a loaf. She spoke out against moral peacocking and reminded her fellow anti-abortion colleagues that you have to win elections. Her simple message: by pushing electorally toxic abortion bans, anti-abortion extremists get Democrats elected who in turn will legalize late term abortion. So, take half a loaf, support reasonable policies such as a 12 to 15 week limit, with exceptions thereafter. Save some babies, instead of none. Realize that politics is very much the art of he possible.
Enter Arizona Proposition 139 which would, in effect, legalize late term abortion in Arizona for any reason. Late term abortion includes killing a baby that is fully viable outside of the womb, even to the point of crowning. See below for the full text of the initiative to amend the Arizona state constitution. The definitions of "viability" and "health care provider" are so broad/squishy, that anything may go.
Of course very few doctors are willing to perform late term abortions even if medically necessary, and fewer still would do it if it's not medically necessary. Very few women will choose to kill their fully formed child at a late stage in the pregnancy. So even with this initiative passing, which is likely, it doesn't mean that scores of ready to be born babies will suddenly be killed in an abortion excess.
Roe vs Wade
It also has to be kept in mind that this initiative comes on the back of the rejection of Roe vs Wade by the current Supreme Court of the United States. Roe guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide and put state laws back into focus. In Arizona this legal change brought back on the books an ancient law that outlawed virtually any abortion, however early, for any reason. Naturally voters revolted and Democrat law makers, aided by two Republicans, killed the ancient law and put a more reasonable 15 week ban on the books. A campaign against proposition 139 points this out saying "No on 139. Abortion is already legal in Arizona up to 15 weeks".
Will 139 pass?
However, if recent history is a guide, the measure will pass. Abortion restrictions have been emphatically rejected even in deep red states such as Kansas. If so, anti-abortion absolutists have only themselves to blame for pushing policies that are known election losers. Take half a loaf, win elections, save some babies, have some positive impact, instead of being shut out of power and losing everything your worked for, including the governorship, Senate seats, school choice, low taxes, gun rights, and so on.
Reality is undefeated
Reality is the ultimate champion and the reality is that voters do not want to force rape victims to give birth to the offspring of their rapist, do not want to force a woman who carries a severely defective child to give birth only to see the child suffer for an hour after birth before painfully expiring, do not want the state involved in pregnancy. Our founding fathers wisely separated church from state to prevent any religious group from being able to enforce their views on others.
Love sometimes means to let someone go, set them free of pain and suffering
Below are a few videos of babies born alive who are however incompatible with normal life, e.g. because they don't have a brain, have their guts on the outside of their body, etc. Viewer discretion is advised. Read the comments too (on youtube), many people saying human beings should not be made to suffer like that, with daily seizures, breathing problems, just to live a few short days, weeks or months and then painfully die.
One things is for sure, most voters want to leave the choice with the woman. There also is a movement among some men who say that if the woman is free to choose abortion, the man/father should be able to choose rejecting fatherhood and having to pay/care for the child.
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