It's somewhat disorienting, to not know for sure in some instances what is true. It seems like many people are using half-truths, or outright lies, to advance an agenda. It happens all over. Behind this is an internalized skepticism that sounds something like, "Well, everyone's got a perspective." On the contrary; they are not all equally valid. The truth is the truth, and lies (or honest errors) are not.
To be blunt, I may not be willing to engage in lying to discredit Planned Parenthood--I may even be angry about various willful deceptions for that purpose--but it doesn't actually change the fact that the intentional killing of children in the womb is a species of murder. No amount of right-wing exaggeration, or cowardly moral capitulation in another area, makes such actions acceptable.
Suppose we even take the dubious claim that only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood's funding goes toward abortion. There is no doubt that the purpose of such a claim is in effect to say, "See? It's not that big of a deal."
One is still left with these basic claims: "Abortion is morally acceptable," and/or Abortion is not morally acceptable."
Quite honestly, I think some people would rather point out others' hypocrisy, rather than confront the basic question. In point of fact, we cannot prudentially disagree about how to combat abortion, if we do not agree on the fundamental nature of the moral act. All the sniping is a distraction from the central question.
For my part, I could be derided as a "kitchen sink"-ist, if only because I am willing to consider that other factors are driving the arrival at that moral decision. Yet not all kitchen sinkists are created equal.
To be blunt, I may not be willing to engage in lying to discredit Planned Parenthood--I may even be angry about various willful deceptions for that purpose--but it doesn't actually change the fact that the intentional killing of children in the womb is a species of murder. No amount of right-wing exaggeration, or cowardly moral capitulation in another area, makes such actions acceptable.
Suppose we even take the dubious claim that only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood's funding goes toward abortion. There is no doubt that the purpose of such a claim is in effect to say, "See? It's not that big of a deal."
One is still left with these basic claims: "Abortion is morally acceptable," and/or Abortion is not morally acceptable."
Quite honestly, I think some people would rather point out others' hypocrisy, rather than confront the basic question. In point of fact, we cannot prudentially disagree about how to combat abortion, if we do not agree on the fundamental nature of the moral act. All the sniping is a distraction from the central question.
For my part, I could be derided as a "kitchen sink"-ist, if only because I am willing to consider that other factors are driving the arrival at that moral decision. Yet not all kitchen sinkists are created equal.
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