If we abolished the government, how would we end abortion?
Many who consider themselves pro-life are actually pro-State: they want more power for the government to prosecute those who seek or provide abortions.
Family Research Council President Ken Connor compared the daily destruction of human life in abortion clinics to the loss of life that occurred in the Sept. 11 attack:
"On September 11th, we were horrified as we watched the destruction of more than 3,000 innocent human lives. In an instant, our government responded to protect the country from further loss," Connor said, in a news release. "But the sad reality of American life is that more than 4,000 children die every day in this country at the hands of abortionists and the government does nothing to intervene."
Andrea Lafferty, of Traditional Values Coalition, meantime, issued a challenge to the Church.
"While many people say they oppose abortion, a lot of people are looking the other way, and the Church is looking the other way," Lafferty said. "The Church needs to be talking about this issue with its young people, with singles' groups, with parents' groups, urging parents to talk to their children about life."
Harry Browne writes:
| Every day you spend trying to get government to do something about abortion is a day wasted, a day that could have been spent doing something effective – such as working for less-restrictive adoption laws, encouraging private educational efforts to show young women the alternatives to abortion, repealing the income tax so that parents will have the time to teach their children values that will minimize teen-age pregnancies, and repealing laws that shield people from the consequences of their acts.
Every day you spend trying to get government to do something about abortion is a day playing at fighting abortion – showing off for the anti-abortion fans, but achieving nothing. Government will never change people's hearts and minds, but you can change people's minds if you're willing to work at it. |
Because I am a libertarian and oppose laws against abortion I have been called an "anarchist." Actually I believe in MORE government than those who support "the government." I believe in self-government.
The vast majority of Americans oppose the vast majority of abortions performed in America, according to all polls. This should be the source of social power needed to effectively end abortion without fines or prisons.
Here's how self-government works to protect the life of the unborn better than the federal government:
Rather than being met at the door by jack-booted gun-wielding federal anti-abortion authorities, mothers contemplating an abortion should be met at the door by voluntary associations of friendly parents who will offer to pay expenses, shelter mothers from abusive "boyfriends," provide caring hospitality, parenting classes, values education and other works of mercy which will help the mothers carry their baby to term and avoid killing a human being.
But even before this need arises, self-government operates to prevent unwanted pregnancies and cultivate a positive value for human life.
Families: Parents who are not victims of government schooling and who have been trained to appreciate America's pro-life values can pass these values on to their children. Constant reminders from the earliest ages that human beings are created by God with unalienable rights is the soil in which homicidal weeds are less likely to grow. Children steeped in pro-life views will inevitably pass these views onto their playmates, and should be encouraged to do so. American parents have always been careful to know who their children play with, and always make an effort to meet the parents of their children's playmates and invite them to learn more about our God-given rights.
Employers should not hesitate to hire single mothers who struggle to make ends meet, and substitute generous pay for government welfare. Lunchtime Bible studies and employee training sessions can pass on America's pro-life values. Personal encouragement increases job performance better than an impersonal workplace, and may result in opportunities for preserving the life of the unborn.
Landlords should use their relationship with tenants to cultivate respect for life through respect for property; the two are not unrelated. Weekend classes in property management, concern for the environment, and household budgeting can be required of tenants in rental agreements. These sessions provide opportunities to stress the importance of human beings created in the Image of God, and their role as stewards of the creation.
Teachers should pass on pro-life values to their students, even in classes that do not directly teach social and cultural subjects. Like the Apostles (Acts 5:29), teachers should defy court orders prohibiting a discussion of American values before and after school, and at lunch.
Media sources which propagate pro-death values should be boycotted. Americans should patronize movies, television, plays, concerts, and other events which transmit American values. Americans should invite neighbors to neighborhood reading circles in which great pro-life books are read and discussed.
Merchants and business owners can join all of the above in a more negative but essential social function: ostracization. Parents can disinherit, landlords can refuse to rent, teachers can expel, media sources can give unfavorable publicity, and merchants can refuse to sell to those who kill children. All of these groups can boycott doctors who kill children.
Professional organizations such as the AMA and the ABA should penalize members who kill human beings.
If 90% of all abortions are opposed by 90% of Americans, then the lives of these 90% are being controlled by pro-abortion forces who wield the power of "the sword": the 90% have been coerced into silence and inaction. Cultural transformation begins with Liberty and self-government, not the iron fist of the federal government.
It is only because Americans are no longer self-governing that they appeal to "the government" to use armed force against those who seek abortions.
More ideas: Building a Culture of Life: A Call to Respect Human Dignity in American Life
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