As far as I can tell, a vast majority of the people who identify themselves as "pro-life" have staked out a belief system that begins and ends with the following:
It's bad.
It shouldn't happen.
I want it to stop.
People who don't think it is bad are evil.
Although many would prefer different terms (e.g., "I wish it were unnecessary"), few Americans reject the cluster of ideas that make up this "pro-life core."
A vast majority of Americans incorporate the pro-life core into a more comprehensive system of premises and conclusions that encompasses Constitutional principle and real world implications.
A minority combine the pro-life core with the belief that "If we make a law against it, it will stop" to create a self-contained system that is unsullied by Constitutional principle or real world implications. This minority coined and commandeered the term "pro-life."
Why do we continue to allow this group to have sole custody of a term that applies to us all? I say screw them. It is not pandering to tell the truth: We are all pro-life.
Since a vast majority of Americans have a more comprehensive "pro-life" belief system, we could be "Pro-Life Plus." (Too silly?)
Anyway, if we are all pro-life, how do we convey the Democratic position?
The short version:
Everybody is pro-life. The difference is, Democrats don't want to put frightened women and their doctors in jail.
Long version:
We are all pro-life. The difference is, Democrats don't think that frightened women and their doctors should be thrown in jail. Democrats believe women should never have to face such desperate circumstances -- no health care, poverty wages – that the only option they see is ending a pregnancy.
Democrats are fighting to guarantee access to health care for every single American. Democrats are fighting to guarantee a living wage for every American worker. Democrats are fighting to make it possible for families to have confidence they will be able to give their children, and their children’s children, the life they deserve. Democrats are fighting to give women more options, so they can be assured that when they bare a child, that child will be loved, protected, and provided for, even if they are unable to do so themselves.
Democrats are committed to true individual freedom, which cannot exist without freedom from fear of economic hardship. Democrats know that a vigorous private sector cannot exist if work is not valued. Democrats know that economic security requires access to quality education and medical care. Democrats know how critical those first months are in the life of a child; they know paid family leave benefits all of us. Democrats know that private industry can only flourish and create prosperity for all when the power of the people to protect their interests is embodied in strong public institutions.
We are all pro-life. The difference is that some of those who call themselves pro-life think throwing frightened women in jail is the solution. The threat of jail did not work before 1967. Democrats know we can do better than that.
Key PointsThe word "abortion" has become a powerful "stimulus" that provokes a rigid, emotional response. That conditioned response is a barrier to any sort of dialog. If we don't want to evoke the conditioned response, we have to stop using the term. Figure out, and practice using, alternate words and phrases.
Never concede that the Democratic position is NOT pro-life. Assert the fact that the position is pro-life – and assert it with confidence. Simple truths are expressed with simple words. Instead of saying something like “Democrats don’t want to criminalize abortion”, say “Democrats don't want to put frightened women and their doctors in jail.”
Examine your assertions. Feelings and imagery shed light too. If your statements are "dry," are there more evocative ways to convey your assertions?
ResultsI don't know if I changed any votes, but when I put this to the test while doorknocking for the Kerry campaign, I definitely got some thoughtful looks when I made these points to the people who identified themselves as pro-life.
My standard response to people who said they were voting for Bush because they were pro-life, was "So am I. Probably the only difference is that I don't think frightened women and their doctors should be thrown in jail. John Kerry believes women should
never have to face such desperate circumstances -- no health care, poverty wages – that the only option they see is ending a pregnancy."
Sometimes this led to a brief discussion -- sometimes with very encouraging results. But, as I said, even people who cut off the exchange often looked thoughtful. There were a few that looked very taken aback, or sort of blanked, like a circuit shorted out.
It may be hard to fathom, but I'm convinced that many have never thought through what they are fighting for. All they know is that they don't want women to end unplanned pregnancies. They believe it shouldn't happen -- ever. They want it to stop. Period.
Of course, making it illegal doesn't actually accomplish their goal. The notion that they are fighting to put people in jail is a notion they don't seem to have internalized.
Words are important. Simply putting the emphasis on the word "never" seems to make the points more effective (perhaps "never" connects with the attractive simplicity of all or nothing thinking).
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