Abortion: National dialogue 35 years overdue

With thousands of people marking the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision by protesting abortion, Washington politicians and liberal media commentators just can’t help wondering this week why, more than three decades after the issue was settled, can’t abortion opponents just let it go?

That’s because it never was settled. In fact, it’s hardly been discussed.

Under our Constitution, it is Congress that is supposed to debate and make the laws, subject to the approval or veto of the president. This is a key function that is critical especially on issues which deeply divide the country.

But Congress has never seriously debated the legality, not to mention morality, of abortion. There have been skirmishes to expand or contract abortion rights, to be sure. But on the issue itself, and the heart of that issue — the personhood of the “fetus” — Congress has always shied away.

The Roe v. Wade decision stripped America of its opportunity to have a national dialogue that could cut through all the bumper sticker slogans, special-interest propaganda and media misrepresentation, instead forcing abortion down our throats.

Not only did the court deprive opponents of the chance to have their views heard, but the court based its decision on the flimsiest of premises — right to privacy — without sufficient explanation. The court has never since adequately explained how one person’s right to privacy trumps another’s right to live.

The only way that the Roe v. Wade decision makes any sense is if the baby is not a baby, or even human, at all. The label “fetus” covers a multitude of sins, not the least of which is the avoidance of an honest debate over the importance and sanctity of human life, an issue that has only become more important with the advent of human cloning for stem cell research.

Much as with the current global warming scare, we are expected to accept the “consensus” opinion on abortion unquestioningly.

We need to have this conversation as a nation. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade is a celebration of 35 years of congressional cowardice. It’s high time Congress step up and do its job.