Ultrasound Bill in New Jersey

That’s right, New Jersey legislature has introduced its own ultrasound bill.  The primary sponsors are Senator Steven Oroho and Senator Gerald Cardinale and it is co-sponsored by Senator Michael Doherty. 

Like ultrasound bills passed in other states, this will require physicians to offer an ultrasound or sonogram to the pregnant woman a certain amount of time before they are scheduled to have their abortion.  Physicians would also be required to offer the chance for the woman to view the ultrasound or sonogram.

The bill is still in the beginning of the legislative process, so we shall watch it carefully and see what happens with it in the near future.

Parental Notification Law in New Jersey

There has not been a lot of legislative talk in New Jersey concerning abortion lately.  However, the Parental Notification bill is making a comeback.

If this bill passes, then it will give one parent notification that their child (if the child is a minor) will be receiving an abortion service if the minor chooses to.  This is what’s known as a common-sense law.  It just seems so obvious that a minor’s parent should at least know, if not have a say in, whether or not their child is receiving an abortion service or not.  After all, parents are required to receive such notification when their child gets significantly more minor drugs and medical services.  In fact, the majority of such services usually require the parents’ permission. 

However, Planned Parenthood has opposed it in the past.  So it is important for us to encourage our senators, assemblymen, etc. to support this bill, for this is something that even pro-choicers can accept. 

So please go to this link and send a message to your representatives.  And remember, every little step towards stopping abortion helps.

Both Sides Claim the Moral High-Ground

In these letters to the editors in the New York Times, multiple people chime in on Ross Douthat’s recent article on how many pro-lifers there actually are in the United States.  Many of them disagree with the numbers that Douthat cites, and these are valid arguments.  However, I would like to focus on one particular letter that was written that seemingly attacks Douthat’s charge from a different angle:

“While Ross Douthat is busy enumerating the truths overlooked by the media, he neglects to mention perhaps the most important truth of all.  While both sides of this debate have a moral foundation upon which to stand, only one side tries to insist that the other live according to its morals.

The pro-choice movement does not demand that those opposed to abortion have one.  Yet, the pro-life movement has no qualms about foisting its interpretation of the truth on those with differing religious convictions.”

Even if one completely ignores the fact that this is a completely invalid argument (after all, even if it is true it does not disprove in the least bit Mr. Douthat’s argument), it still does not change the fact that it is just plain wrong.  It implicitly suggests that pro-choicers are not forcing their views on others and pro-lifers are.  The truth is, both sides are forcing their views on others. 

While it is true that pro-choicers do not demand people to have an abortion if they do not want one, this is a non sequitor because it is not even the pro-choice position.  Nobody, pro-life or pro-choice, suggests that pro-choicers generally want to force people to have abortions.  What they are forcing, however, is for the acceptability and legality of abortion as a purely medical procedure (as opposed to an act of murder). 

Thus, the statement “you don’t have to have an abortion if you don’t want one” is a statement that is a must for the pro-choicer to make if they are to be consistent with what they believe to be the morally objective truth that abortion should be an acceptable option for any woman to make.  To suggest that such a statement is the right statement to make only begs the question, then, if they don’t, first, prove that abortion is nothing more than a necessary medical procedure.

Similarly, the statement “you should not, under any circumstances, have an abortion” is a statement that is a must for the pro-lifer to make if they are to be consistent with what they believe to be the morally objective truth that abortion is the murder of an innocent human person with the right to life.  For the pro-choicer to suggest that such a statement is wrong to force on others, then, is also begging the question if they do not, first, prove the pro-lifer wrong in their belief that abortion is an act of murder.

In conclusion, the idea that “only one side tries to insist that the other live according to its morals” is, at best, misleading and, at worst, the result of a dictatorship of moral relativism.  Both sides believe that they are right; both force their views on others who disagree with them; both claim to have the moral high-ground.  Only one actually does, though.  Thus, for one to claim that the other is wrong in forcing their beliefs on others without proving why such a belief is wrong in the first place only assumes the very point that they, by rules of logic, are required to prove: that their belief is the correct one and their opponents’ belief is not. 

The Komen/Planned Parenthood Debacle

As you may have already heard, Komen decided to eventually stop funding Planned Parenthood.  As you also may have heard a few days later, Komen supposedly reversed its decision. 

Both pro-lifers and pro-choicers have not fully understood the situation, however.  As the above link discusses (as well as this link) Komen did not actually reverse its decision, it simply clarified it.  It is not news that Komen was going to continue to finish up the grants that it was already giving to PP, and Komen clarified that they would be allowed to apply for grants in the future, but this does not mean that Komen will accept such grants.  They simply stated an obvious fact that has been well known throughout this whole situation.  Any organization can apply for any grant; that does not mean that they will get it.  Thus, Komen did not truly reverse its position, at least not yet.

What’s really interesting about this situation, though, is the backlash that has happened as a result of it from Planned Parenthood supporters.  As fellow blogger Wesley Smith recognizes, it’s as if Planned Parenthood thinks that once an organization donates money to it than they think they are entitled to keep getting money from that same organization. 

What’s also interesting is how so many pro-choicers have revealed themselves to be completely pro-abortion.  Many refused to do Komen fundraisers simply because of their change in donations.  Now it is a valid discussion as to whether or not Komen really stopped donating money simply due to a change in policy (or if they truly began growing a heart for the pro-life movement), but even if it is the latter it is still very odd for pro-choicers to stop supporting Komen.  After all it’s not really supposed to be involved with abortion; it’s only true involvement is with breast cancer research and awareness. 

Pro-choicers who refuse to further their involvement with Komen because of this issue are essentially saying that they will do whatever they can to keep support for abortion the way it is if not better, even if that means no longer supporting a major organization for breast cancer research. 

This is not to say that one must always support Komen once they begin to do so.  It simply means that the pro-choicers’ reasoning for no longer supporting Komen in wake of its reversal completely and utterly puts the “right” of abortion above important cancer research. 

This is especially odd seeing as how many of the pro-choicers who cry out against Komen for making such a decision accuse it of using “political” means to achieve said decision.  A bit ironic, isn’t it? 

Komen Stops Funding Planned Parenthood

For those of you were unaware, Komen, a cancer research organization, funded the largest abortion company in the country, Planned Parenthood.  This caused a lot of people to stop donating to Komen.

Well, recently, Komen announced that they will stop funding the abortion giant.  This is largely due to Komen’s recent policy change to not fund any organization that is under investigation (which Planned Parenthood technically is). 

Though it did not have so much to do over the pro-life issue, their actions are still commendable and noteworthy.  Thank you Komen for doing the right thing.