"You Give the Message to More Uniformed People..."

"...that it's a legitimate thing to do." And who are you with, anyway?

Digby and Greg point to a fascinating video of Anti-Abortion Protesters being questioned about "illegal abortion," and what, if any, the penalty should be for having an illegal abortion. The question is very simple; if abortion is illegal, and a woman has an abortion, what should the penalty be?

It's fascinating... none of them had ever given the question serious thought. In many cases, the people had been standing on streets with their grotesque pictures for years, and not one of them had ever considered what the "punishment" should be for having an illegal abortion. Although they all believe that abortion is murder, they couldn't even strongly state that women having illegal abortions deserve life in prison.

Sure, it makes you feel good to say "God called me," and it certainly is good for your ego to pass judgement on those wicked, wicked women that have abortions... but when it comes down to brass tacks, what do you do with women that break the law?

Remember, according to the argument, these women are murderers.

"Pray for them" and "counseling" seem to be the brilliant solutions.

Wow.

Digby sez:

So I think we need to have this discussion. Let's debate it out in the open and "air both sides" because from where I sit it's the "pro-lifers" who haven't thought this thing through. Nobody says they can't agitate against abortion and stand out there with their sickening pictures and try to dissuade women from doing it. I will defend their right to argue against abortion forever. But when they use the law to enforce their moral worldview they need to recognize that they can't have it both ways. If fetuses are human and have the same rights as the women in whom they live, then a woman who has an abortion must logically be subject to the full force of the law. It would be a premeditated act of murder no different than if she hired a hit man to kill her five year old. The law will eventually be able to make no logical moral distinction. Is everybody ready for that?

Obviously, no one is.

"I'm not a lawyer."

"I hadn't really thought about that."

Clutch rosary, cross self, clear mind. And always let your conscience be your guide...

(Okay, relax, and assume the position... go into cross-post submission...)