Just Say No Way to the Third Way (and that means you too Obama)

There is a certain brand of Democrat who wants to flee whenever the topic of abortion comes up.  They aren't comfortable with the debate for one reason or another and have a hard time sticking up for a simple fundamental premise -- that the decision to have an abortion is a private matter best decided by the pregnant woman and those she chooses to involve in the decision.  Period.  Full Stop.

The anti-abortion rights movement has been effective at playing on the weaknesses of this group, focusing incessantly on marginal issues like so-called "partial birth abortion" a term that they invented for Dilation and Extraction abortions ("D&X") and then immediately conflated with late term abortion, late term abortions themselves, parental consent laws, etc.    Data compiled in 2000 by the Alan Guttmacher Institute ("AGI") show that 88% of abortions are performed within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, about 10% are performed in weeks 13-20, and about 1% after 21 weeks.   Most D&X abortions were performed in the second trimester, and all such abortions constituted .17% of those performed in the U.S.

The anti-choice forces have pushed sensationalistic arguments about method and timing for purely tactical reasons -- as an avenue to chip away at this fundamental right and to undermine it with courts, legislatures and the general public.  In so doing, they have found willing dupes in the likes of the insufferable Will Saletan at Slate, E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post, and a group known as "Third Way", which I believe may actually be the bastard love child of Saletan and Dionne (whether planned or not I cannot speculate).  Third Way's Cultural Commissar Director of the Culture Program regularly produces memos that suggest that if we will just say how icky abortion is and also that we are uncomfortable with contraception (and that women who choose either are slutty slut sluts) we will then win the right to capitulate more in the future (that can't be right, can it?).      

Third Way has recently been promoting "abortion reduction" as its goal and as an electoral strategy.  To which I say "bollocks."  The number of abortions that should be performed in America is the number that women, for whatever circumstances, find that they need.  I am all in favor of expanding the use, availability and knowledge of contraception.  (If only Third Way would unabashedly push this line.)  But in the end, for any number of reasons, there will be unwanted pregnancies and I am rather clear about who should make the decision on whether these should be carried to term -- hint, not the government. 

Conservatives are deeply in love with Munich analogies, everything seemingly always coming down to Hitler and Chamberlain.  Well, let me join the Munich circus here -- the anti-choice forces will never be appeased with abortion reduction.  Nor will they ever be satisfied by eliminating late term abortions or D&X abortions.  They will be satisfied only when abortion is outlawed altogether.  They laugh at the hand wringers at Third Way and useful idiots like Saletan and Dionne.    Read this piece by Gary Bauer if you don't believe me.   

Which brings me to Obama.  His recent remarks about the health exception for late term abortions indicating that he didn't support the concept of "mental health" exceptions were troubling.  They suggest that he either doesn't have a full grasp of the reasons for the mental health prong of the exception or that he is deliberately pandering to soft anti-choice voters.  Either strikes me as troubling.

The way to win this debate is to be clear, firm and strong about the commitment to keeping this decision in the hands of individuals and not allowing the state to tread on such private ground.  This is a principle well worth standing up for and, I believe, if pressed vigorously, will prove a winner in the long run. 

Comments

[Joe Klein's conscience]

Isn't "The Third Way" related to the DLC? They have pretty much the same goals. That Democrats need to move to that mythical "center" and also that Democrats need to be more business friendly(What ever that means).

[low-tech cyclist]

Third Way has recently been promoting "abortion reduction" as its goal and as an electoral strategy. To which I say "bollocks." The number of abortions that should be performed in America is the number that women, for whatever circumstances, find that they need.

This is where I get off the bus. Maybe it's because I feel like creating a fetus only to destroy it is something to be avoided on moral grounds, at least as much as letting your cat have kittens that you don't have homes for and are going to have to give to the animal shelter to likely be euthanized is something to be avoided on moral grounds.

And polls suggest that this is where the great middle of the electorate is on this issue. Hence the "safe, legal, and rare" formulation that Clinton pushed in 1992 and has been part of Dem platforms ever since. It works, because that's where the people are.

But you're absolutely right about the rest of it. With respect to Saletan and the Third Way and whatnot, the main Dem response should be: we own abortion reduction. We're the ones who've been fighting for easier access to contraception, and for education that'll help teens having sex avoid conceiving children in the first place. And we've been getting nothing but hindrance from "pro-lifers", who have at every turn been standing in the way of any sex ed besides abstinence-only, and who have actively been throwing up barriers between women and access to contraceptives.

So fuck 'em. We're the good guys on this issue, and we have nothing to apologize for. Dionne and Saletan and other third-way types need to make that clear - make it clear which side has been advocating the 'third way' for many years now, which side will have nothing to do with it, and which side needs to be the one to change its ways for their 'third way' to be possible. It's time for the Dionnes and Saletans of the world to stop lecturing Dems, and start lecturing pro-lifers.

And Dems need to tell the 'pro-lifers': "Fuck you. All you want to do is ban abortion, ban meaningful sex ed, and restrict access to contraception. There's no point in talking to you." (Hell, they probably want to ban contraception too, but are afraid to say so out loud, because they know they'd have the support of about 7% of the electorate on that one.)

[Sir Charles]

l-t c,

I think in trying to be forceful on this point, I was less than subtle. I don't think people should consciously set out to have unwanted pregnancies to abort. It is vastly preferable that one avoid all unnecessary surgical procedures of any kind and obviously the proper use of birth control is the better approach to this problem from both a public health perspective and as a moral matter for many people.

But I want to avoid and indeed push back against the stigmatization of abortion and the defensive posture into which we have been pushed.

And yes, these people are anti-contraception and they have no desire to reduce abortion in ths way. They want the sluts to stop having and enjoying sex.

[anon]

"I don't think people should consciously set out to have unwanted pregnancies to abort."

BECAUSE THIS TOTALLY HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. jesus.

[Sir Charles]

Anon,

I don't either --I was responding to l-t c's comment that "creating a fetus only to destroy it" was something with which he wasn't morally comfortable.

[low-tech cyclist]

I should clarify: I don't think anyone sets out to get pregnant in order to abort. But even in the absence of intent, it's still something to be avoided on moral grounds, IMHO. (I generally don't give a rat's ass about intent anyway; I'm more concerned with outcomes.)

[Corvus9]

I think I am kind of with l-t c on this one. While Saletan is obviously a total douche, I think there is some truth to the idea that dems/progs/libs/"the left" should be willing to be a little, uh, "soft" on abortion. I mean, I have met lot's of people who are perfectly nice reasonable types, even self-described feminists, who have problems or qualms or reservations with abortions during the third trimester. I don't actually know anybody personally who thinks abortions should be allowed up until labor. So I think voicing some degree of reservation or uncomfortableness with the procedure is actually sensible.

I guess what I am saying is that abortion is an issue where there actually is a large degree is nuance in public opinion, so it probably doesn't hurt to express some nuance or compromise in one's position. The pro-life/pro-choice dichotomy is false. And since the "pro-choice" side actually is, you know, the good guys here, it probably doesn't hurt to express opinions reflecting the actual opinions of its members.

(Man, talking about abortion sucks. It's like wearing boots while walking around on eggshells in the dark, with music playing. You just know you are breaking stuff, you can just feel it, but you can't really tells what exactly you're stepping on. Or something.)