Wired pursued the homosexual community's response to points raised in my column yesterday:
Eschewing the eugenics question, Stanek seems more interested in another question posed by Mohler.How can [feminists and political liberals who support a woman's right to choose] now complain if women decide to abort fetuses identified as homosexual?Out of curiosity, I called the Equality Forum to ask their take on aborting a baby because he or she is gay. Communications officer Christopher Scoville said that the Equality Forum would not support the decision to abort a baby just because they're gay, anymore than they would support aborting a baby because they are left handed.
When asked if the Equality Forum had an official position on abortions of babies with congenital defects, Scoville demured, leaving that question to bioethicists. He said that the Equality Forum is a civil rights organization and therefore the question is "not in our purview."
It will be interesting to see how various religious denominations weigh in. Some will suggest, as Mohler did, that altering a baby's sexual orientation is a way to protect a child from sin. Others will argue that this is nothing more than eugenics and should be forbidden.
One thing's certain: If such a prenatal test is found and women start aborting babies for being gay, pro-choice organizations supporting gay rights cannot argue against a woman's right to abort a gay fetus. If they do, other groups will fight for the same protections for their members and the right to choose will be so limited that it might as well not exist.
Wired also quoted an earlier EF press release:
Fetal invasion to alter sexual orientation is reminiscent of the Nazis. It reflects a theocratic and Taliban-like plan that should frighten all Americans.
"Fetal invasion"? How quickly gays are being converted on the sanctity of life.
What does EQ say about aborting a baby because her
mama is poor? Or, how about aborting a baby because
mom is having a girl instead of a boy? Do they object
if she is having a bad hair day?
They may want to analyze their definition of "equality!"
Would you abort a black baby? As Bill Bennett would have it, it would supposedly serve to lower crime... Because it's oh-so-obviously that black people are the only ones who commit crime and white people are all innocent.
Or better, as Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., the president of the leading Southern Baptist seminary, would have it, all gays should be aborted. But, not abortion in the kill the fetus sense. Rather, he'd want the fetus modified so that it wouldn't be gay anymore. For some odd reason he doesn't see this a playing God:
Pastor: 'Is your baby gay?'
At least, that is the logical extension of his "Christian" of morality.
There is no simple answer to the abortion question, but I will tell you this. Those who are so "pro-life" as to see condoms and homosexuality as immoral and corrupt are heading down the same path of the eugenicists.
Pretty soon we'll all be white and heterosexual and living in Gattaca.