Why do politicians insist they personally oppose abortion when their public actions reveal that they consistently and intentionally support the killing of unborn children?
Delaware Senator Joe Biden in one such official who has adopted Mario Cuomo's famous "I'm personally opposed to abortion" line despite the fact that the very reason to be opposed to abortion is the same reason it should be illegal. Here's his statement on the topic,
I remember vividly the first time, in 1973, I had to go to the floor to vote on abortion. A fellow Senator asked how I would vote. "My position is that I am personally opposed to abortion, but I don't think I have a right to impose my few on the rest of society. I've thought a lot about it, and my position probably doesn't please anyone. I think the government should stay out completely. I will not vote to overturn the Court's decision. I will not vote to curtail a woman's right to choose abortion. But I will also not vote to use federal funds to fund abortion."Gary Demar (Mashed Potatoes on the Anvil) reacts:I've stuck to my middle-of-the-road position on abortion for more than 30 years. I still vote against partial birth abortion and federal funding, and I'd like to make it easier for scared young mothers to choose not to have an abortion, but I will also vote against a constitutional amendment that strips a woman of her right to make her own choice.
When someone states that he or she is "personally opposed" to something, my first question is, "Why?" What is it about abortion that you oppose? This question is almost never asked of the "I'm personally opposed but" (IPOB) crowd. I can see using this argument for "I'm personally opposed to smoking cigarettes," or "I'm personally opposed to drinking alcohol," but I don't see how the IPOB argument works for abortion. So we're back to why Biden is personally opposed to abortion? Is it because abortion snuffs out a human life? If this is the reason, then being personally opposed must transfer over to the civil arena. If what is growing inside a woman's womb is not a human life, then there is no reason even to be personally opposed. The reason a person can be personally opposed to cigarette smoking and alcohol is that the damage done to the body is personal. A preborn baby is not a part of a woman's body. He or she is a separate biological entity. A preborn baby is not like a diseased appendix or lung. What is born is another human being.The rationale of being (personally) opposed to child killing but, as a governing official, not acting upon the same is dubious and intellectually dishonest.
Really, it is time to call politicians on the carpet who promote every form of abortion under the sun but then hide under the words "I'm personally opposed" as a twisted justification for their actions.
Think of it as the opposite of hypocrisy. I don't want to do something, but that doesn't mean that I don't think anyone should be allowed to do it. I hope I never need an abortion and I don't really know what I'd decide if I were in that situation, but how do I point my finger at people who have problems that I've never had and tell them what to do?
I don't like or approve of the Howard Stern show, but I don't want him forbidden to perform because I support freedom of speech. I don't listen to it myself, but I wouldn't support a law banning it.
Like,
"I don't approve of slavery but ...."
"I'm personally opposed to infanticide but ..."
"I'm personally opposed to theft but ..."
The reason for being opposed to something matters and allowing atrocity to continue is injustice.