Moody Center
Conservatives' Beliefs
RECEIVED Mon., Feb. 6, 2012
Dear Editor,
There's a bewildered tone that runs through Jordan Smith's Feb. 3 article [“The Destruction of Texas Health Care,” News] and much of the Chron's coverage of this issue. That's because you're looking at it from a standpoint of logic and compassion while many conservatives look at it from a standpoint of belief. I've worked with a couple of strongly anti-abortion people, and here's what I've gleaned:
Many conservatives blame the Warren Court and Roe v. Wade for triggering much of the societal upheaval of the last four decades. They believe if they could “return the fear of pregnancy to young women” (their words), then this country might return to something like the paradise they imagine the 1950s were. There are multiple problems with this theory, but three are: 1) the 1950s were actually a time of great fear and paranoia as the two superpowers prepared to annihilate each other (mutually assured destruction). But parents shield their kids from the horrible realities, so it's easy for today's adults to imagine those as “simpler times.” 2) The 1950s were hardly paradise if you were black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, or gay. 3) Societal changes are one-way streets, you can never retrace steps.
With a goal of reforming society, many conservatives are quite willing to sacrifice many women and allow many unwanted children to achieve that. If they succeed in repealing Roe v. Wade, Griswold v. Connecticut and legal contraception would be next.
There's a bewildered tone that runs through Jordan Smith's Feb. 3 article [“The Destruction of Texas Health Care,” News] and much of the Chron's coverage of this issue. That's because you're looking at it from a standpoint of logic and compassion while many conservatives look at it from a standpoint of belief. I've worked with a couple of strongly anti-abortion people, and here's what I've gleaned:
Many conservatives blame the Warren Court and Roe v. Wade for triggering much of the societal upheaval of the last four decades. They believe if they could “return the fear of pregnancy to young women” (their words), then this country might return to something like the paradise they imagine the 1950s were. There are multiple problems with this theory, but three are: 1) the 1950s were actually a time of great fear and paranoia as the two superpowers prepared to annihilate each other (mutually assured destruction). But parents shield their kids from the horrible realities, so it's easy for today's adults to imagine those as “simpler times.” 2) The 1950s were hardly paradise if you were black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, or gay. 3) Societal changes are one-way streets, you can never retrace steps.
With a goal of reforming society, many conservatives are quite willing to sacrifice many women and allow many unwanted children to achieve that. If they succeed in repealing Roe v. Wade, Griswold v. Connecticut and legal contraception would be next.
David Horton