Can Forced-Birth Pull Rabbits Out of the Hat


National groups hoping to impose a nation-wide prohibition on abortion have run into a brick wall. Elections since the overturn of Roe have gone against them and against their chosen party, Republican. This will not be the case in every election going forward but it appears certain it will tip the balance of power in Washington and harm what force-birth wants. 

Forced-birth has tried to continue the narrative they thought had been working for decades. That narrative was that a fetus was a human being and to destroy the fetus was to murder a human being. As long as that narrative was a somewhat distant theory that had little to do with the actual lives of women and men it was viewed without universal hostility. Nearly all women could get abortions by putting up with pointless costs such as waiting periods and ultrasounds. This all changed when a theoretical narrative that a fetus is a human being became a law in several states making it difficult if not impossible for a few women to get any abortions. 

The push back to forcing births has become so strong the forced-birth political operatives have started a campaign to use different language. No more "prolife." Its new language like "life enhancing." "Murder" probably is out and something like "unfortunate end" is in. It is like a stand-up comic entertaining with jokes about what ridiculous people say.

MSNBC host Jen Psaki said recently, "It is impossible to take a product people hate, put a new name on it and make it popular." When a woman becomes unexpectantly pregnant and does not want to carry to birth because she believes the father will abandon her along with her other children, will she be persuaded to carry to birth because a political faction has said it is "live enhancing?"

Are there other tricks force-birth can come up with, other than language tricks, to support forcing women to carry fetuses to birth? Ideas about money are discussed more in the web these days than ever before. That is, ideas to make pregnancies and raising children easier to finance.

While this has a least a little potential, I don't see it changing the choice pattern taking place around the world to have fewer babies. There are a few places where fertility remains high but the worldwide trend is toward smaller numbers of births. Male dominated religions and societies may think they will continue to have the last word in all things female but I'm betting against them.

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