Because most philosophies that frown on reproduction don't survive.

Monday, June 20, 2005

All for the children

James Taranto over at the Wall Street Journal's Best of the Web, who coined the phrase "The Roe Effect", points us to the Canadian corollary: the Morgentaler effect. Henry Morgentaler, a prominent abortionist, helped overturn Canada's abortion laws in 1988.

"Well-loved children grow into adults who do not build concentration camps, do not rape and do not murder," said Morgentaler, 82, who himself survived a Nazi death camp.
He claimed that violent crime has decreased since 1991, a trend he attributed to more abortion procedures being made available.
"The most important factor is that there are fewer unwanted children, fewer children likely to be abused, brutalized or neglected ... children so victimized they may grow up for a thirst for vengeance which seeks an outlet in violence," he said.

It seems almost self-explanatory that if you reduce the number of children overall, you will see a reduction in the number of children abused or neglected. Still, is it entirely accurate to equate "unwanted pregnancy" with "unwanted children"? Surely it's overstating the case to assume that every woman who finds herself faced with an unplanned pregnancy will necessarily resent the child she bears, if the child is allowed to be born. Babies have a way of forcing one to take responsibility....

But is it that now women realize that they are abusive and so abort their children? Or is it that otherwise normal people will turn into monsters if they should ever be threatened with the thought of an unplanned baby? And what does it say about society that it's acceptable to abort the child in that case, instead of urging the parent to overcome these shortcomings for the good of the family?

And it's not like Canada's overly populated right now....

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