In regards to ‘Abortion calls for dialogue, not disrespect,’ the author expresses at the end of the article that abortion this is not a light issue. People have deep convictions and beliefs about abortion because of this fact, some people make radical claims. More importantly, rather that focusing on the radical claims, it is better to examine the reason that people have been moved to make them.
The article focuses on technicalities in what Rep. Trent Franks (R. Ariz.) meant when addressing President Barack Obama at the March for Life. Franks was commenting on the fact that because the courts do not define abortion as legally wrong, it can still be morally wrong. He is making a parallel to the fact that not even 200 years ago slavery was accepted by the courts, even though it too was a horrible practice.
The article focuses on the disrespect that some have seen in the congressman’s statement but does not discuss why people are emotionally charged on the issue. Abortion has ended the lives of over 45 million Americans since the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade. President Obama has been office for only a few weeks and has already begun to lift abortion bans, “giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information,” according to the Star Tribune. For as much as Obama has preached about bringing people together, his actions regarding abortion have left little room for the middle dialogue that the author spoke of in ‘Abortion calls for dialogue, not disrespect.’ Obama also pledged on the campaign trail to sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) into law. This would lift current abortion limitations, possibly lifting the ban on late- term abortions, taking away parental consent in the applicable states and requiring Catholic hospitals to perform abortions.
Examining why people are emotionally charged regarding abortion puts a different light on the issue. By discrediting the pro-life movement and making them out to be out of touch fanatics as the author article suggests, how can one hope for dialogue?