THE UNITED STATES OF ABSOLUTISTS
This week in the U.S. State of North Carolina, the state’s legislature used its Republican super-majority to overturn the Democratic governor’s veto on a bill that would ban abortions at 12 weeks after inception. Those who ran on not seeking further abortion restrictions happily turned coat under the party whip. And just like that, North Carolina becomes the latest red state to fall in the great ideological war that has dominated American politics since the 1970s. Although, there are a number of exceptions within the new law that extend those 12 weeks to allow, as The Washington Post suggests, 90% of abortions to proceed unhindered.
American conservatives learned a powerful lesson during the Trump years. If they hold their nose and vote for a candidate with no moral compass, that candidate will happily trade judicial appointments for power. After all, any politician understands restrictions on society do not apply to those who have the money to circumvent those restrictions. They, therefore, have nothing to lose themselves. Who among us would doubt that Trump, a known philanderer who once declared himself pro-choice, has never asked a mistress to have her inconvenient condition ‘taken care of’? And on America marches toward a national ban on abortion.
Though the idea of the Supreme Court as the non-political defender of American legal precedent is now dead, I believe the justices will still be at pains to project an image of wise, unbiased judgment. I predict the introduction of an inevitable bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that, within the next decade, will find success under a united Republican Congress and President in outlawing abortion beyond the first trimester, while allowing for those states who wish to outlaw abortion altogether. The Supreme Court will, quite legitimately, proclaim that they always believed the abortion issue was best decided by America’s elected representatives, thus washing their hands of the matter once and for all.
American liberals often point to a progressive European culture and bemoan the fact the United States has diverged so dramatically from the course taken by their cousins across the pond. They are misguided in this assessment. France, that ‘other’ option to the Anglo-Saxon interpretation of western values, recently expanded the right to an abortion to 14 weeks… a mere two weeks beyond that of North Carolina. Sweden restricts abortions beyond 18 weeks.
It is true that Europe has taken most of the politics out of the abortion debate. For this to happen in America, the Left and the Right would need to adopt a position of compromise, which they have never done previously. I would argue that it is American absolutism that has kept abortion in the news. Whereas Europeans believe life involves a great many grey areas for which determining the correct course of action is always evolving, Americans on both the left and right are under no such delusions. They know in their hearts what is right and what is wrong. Therein lies the unbridgeable political divide.
On the Left, they generally believe the foetus has no rights up until the moment of birth. If they are keeping the child, they might bombard the developing little being with classical music and conversation, along with vitamins, confident the child’s brain is already soaking up the human experience. On the other hand, the more hardcore Left sees no contradiction is supporting the right to terminate that development at any point up until birth. Whether the child is a mere collection of cells or an individual already capable of learning is dependent entirely on whether or not the parent is to carry the child to term. This is an oversimplification. There are many on the Left who are uncomfortable with abortion beyond a certain week and even disturbed by partial-birth abortion procedures. Scientists have determined that human consciousness begins in some form beyond 24 weeks. But, much like gun rights advocates, the Left see a slippery slope ahead should grey areas be acknowledged.
On the Right, there is no budging on the sanctity of life in the womb. It begins the moment of conception, and the introduction of ‘heartbeat’ bills are just one step on the path to an outright ban. Patience is their trump card. They are in it for the long haul, like those who vote for the Green Party. Hybrid cars are a necessity at the moment, but eventually all cars will be electric. Just stay the course. However, for the Right, the sanctity of life appears to end at the moment of birth. At that point, the Second Amendment takes precedence over the value of a child’s life. Whereas a massacre of children in Europe or the Antipodes brings about immediate action to collect and destroy a country’s firearms, the opposite reaction takes hold in the United States. Gun sales skyrocket, and in extreme cases, the grieving parents are branded ‘actors’ by right-wing media. The Right guides discussions away from eliminating military-style assault rifles to dealing with America’s mental health crisis. Yet, the Right has no interest or intention in providing any free-of-charge health services, mental or otherwise, to the electorate. The Right understands correctly that if the massacres happen on a daily basis, the public will remain numb to them, and nothing will need to be done. Politicians know that the electorate punishes those who take brave actions. So best to simply say ‘no’ to whatever the other side suggests and then take up a well-remunerated board position upon retirement. One’s own family is perfectly safe in gated communities and at private schools.
It is these two absolutist positions that doom America to a cultural civil war that grows ever more violent. As an Anglican, I have my own personal views on abortion, which I consider irrelevant to the wider political discussion, but I can’t help but wonder what would happen if America adopted the French attitude toward life. In France, preschool has been universally available since 1833. As well, no civilian is automatically allowed to carry a gun in public, but they may apply for a one-year carry license, allowing those ‘exposed to exceptional risks to their life’ to carry a firearm and 50 rounds of ammunition. And, yes, outright access to abortion is illegal beyond 14 weeks.
The new North Carolina law also closes a loophole that permitted some domestic abusers to purchase firearms. Perhaps a European-style compromise is not beyond the realm of possibility in the United States. Just maybe, the next generation, worn down by ideological wars, will reject the absolutism of their parents and finally bridge America’s cultural and political divide.