I Think I Need A New Heart – The Magnetic Fields
Sarah Palin wants to amend the US Constitution to permanently prohibit gay marriage. There’s nothing surprising about this, given how far right she is on cultural issues. Except…
Her stance on abortion is that it should be “up to the states.” Presumably it’s perfectly okay for (in her mind) millions of little babies to be aborted as long as there’s just 51% support in a particular state for it. Two consenting adults who love each other want to have a wedding, though, and it’s time to attack them with the full weight of the Constitution…
Does she really think that some gay people getting married is worse than millions of abortions? Of course not, but there’s nothing new about this sort of dissembling. But this juxtaposition helps clarify something important. They’re all about regulating sexuality of people who aren’t like them. State by state abortion restrictions would be relatively easy to navigate for people with money. The only people who be seriously limited in terms of safe access would be poor people and those in potentially abusive situations. Children who don’t have supportive parents. Wives with jealous husbands. Poor women in Mississippi who lack the funds. Sure, they’d like an amendment banning abortion but for their purposes the federalism dodge pretty much accomplishes the goal (with the added benefit that when their rich white daughters get pregnant, it’s no hassle to get a quiet abortion, if they so desire).
I know it will never happen, but I still hold out hope of journalists at some point pressing these people on these questions. You think abortion is murder but you don’t support any punishment for the woman who has it done? Why is that? You think abortion is murder, but are happy to let a bare majority in a state make it available to anyone who can pay to get there? And yet, you clearly have no issue with writing discrimination into the Constitution given your stance on a marriage amendment.
So why aren’t you willing to go that far on abortion? Is it because you know that 50% of the population is women who would collectively destroy you and your party if you went that far? Whereas gay people are a smaller minority so you feel no electoral heat there? Isn’t that a disgusting attitude to take?
It’s also funny given the current ranting and raving about Obama’s socialism to note that it is Palin herself who supports intrusive and complete governmental intervention into the social and cultural lives of America. As pleasant as I’m sure Communist Romania was, I think I’ll stick with legalized abortion thanks very much.