ABORTION AND EXTREMISM

Mr. Richard Geib

Bioethics

December 2, 2014

ABORTION: AMERICA DIVIDED

“If you want to spoil the conversation at a

dinner party, bring up abortion and watch

the discussion degenerate!”

THE ABORTION DIALECTIC

“If you want to spoil the conversation at a

dinner party, bring up abortion and watch

the discussion degenerate!”

“Pro Choice” vs. “Pro Life”

RADICAL FEMINISTS • Roe v. Wade as

woman’s control of biological destiny – Matter of privacy

– All the mother; nothing the fetus

– Part of larger feminist struggle for justice

• Abortion as a “reproductive right” – Settled by courts

– Not a matter for political debate!

A conspiracy of men and control!

FORCEFUL STAND BY CATHOLIC CHURCH

"Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia.

There may be legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about

waging war and applying the death penalty, but not... with regard to abortion

and euthanasia."

Pope Benedict XVI

POLITICAL GOAL: OVERTURN ROE v. WADE

Importance of presidential elections and

appointment of Supreme Court Justices!

OPERATION RESCUE

• In wake or Roe v. Wade

• Civil Rights movement

tactics

– Public protests and

civil disobedience

– Denial of access

• More violent fringes

– Holocaust metaphor

– Bombings,

assassinations

Leader Randall Terry

LARGER CRITIQUE OF MAINSTREAM CULTURE

America as a “sinful” country based on

selfish expedience and sexual immorality.

Role of media in “sexualizing” youth!

VERY DIFFERENT VALUES OF EACH CAMP

Values of opposed extremists not likely to be easily

bridged!

These are fundamental disagreements….

DIRECT VIOLENT ACTION

To commit murder to prevent murder?

ACTIVIST PAUL HILL

July 29, 1994 in Pensacola, Florida

PAUL HILL SENTENCED

For murder of physician John Britton and

his clinic escort, James Barrett, and serious

wounding of Britton’s wife.

PAUL HILL EXECUTED

Paul Hill died by lethal injection in Florida

State Prison on September 3, 2003.

PRACTICAL EFFECT…

Many fewer doctors going into abortion training,

many fewer abortion clinics…