Ads on METRO #6: CFFC - Part II

Catholics for a Free Choice put up this ad (63k PDF) at Washington, D.C. METRO stops. It proudly proclaims, "Nobody wants to need an abortion" (the fine print remains the same).

CFFC's contention breaks down the moment one recognizes that abortion does violence to a living human being. Imagine an ad that proclaims, "nobody wants to kill their next door neighbor."

The theory that abortion should be discouraged but remain legal is common in liberal circles. Well meaning Catholics who identify with most liberal causes (except abortion) are tempted to compromise on this central life issue. They think if abortion is prevented then it does not need be outlawed. I'm not sure they see how detestable that position is.

Imagine if CFFC's fine print read something like this:

Picture a world where safe and reliable sexual gratification is affordable and everyone uses it.

Where the decision to have sex is made responsibly.

Where men have easy access to prostitutes.

Where people have sexual fulfillment whether or not they have a job.

Where sex is both available and pleasurable.

In this world, rapes are not illegal. They're prevented. Isn't that the best choice of all?

Certainly such a world is no more likely to prevent rape than CFFC's world is likely to prevent abortion. One can easily see that substituting the word "rape" for "abortion" clearly highlights the folly of "preventing" abortion while keeping it legal.

Prevention is a good thing. I'm all for crisis pregnancy centers and other ways of prevention (except for contraception). Feminists for Life has some good ideas for supporting women who are faced with unplanned pregnancies. But, if society is to protect life, then it must do more than encourage people to not do violence to their children. It must take a moral stand by making such violence illegal.