There’s an idea within some right-leaning circles that because individual rights are highly prized, abortion should be supported. While you can easily be a libertarian or member of the Republican Party and claim the label “pro-choice,” you can’t be a conservative and do the same.
Most libertarians value individual freedom as the greatest and highest good. This naturally extends to a woman’s right to control her physical form. When pregnant, this is also applied to the body within her body. Of course, the mere existence of a separate body itself removes this outright authority from the female. Deciding whether an unborn child will live or die should never be determined by the mother, family, or doctors. In terminal cases, where viability or quality of life can’t be fully obtained, life-affirming decisions should be made and the dignity of all should be respected.
The same applies to members of the Republican Party who claim that women’s rights, as they pertain to abortion, should be protected by the GOP. Two high-profile, pro-abortion Republicans are Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Both of these women routinely side with abortion-supporting Democrats within the chamber. They both continue to vote to fund Planned Parenthood. During the Kavanaugh debacle, both were concerned with how his inclusion on the high court would affect abortion rights within the country. After much thought and a lengthy floor speech, Collins decided to support Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh with a “yes” confirmation vote. Murkowski remained incapable of supporting the nominee and voted “present,” instead.
However, conservatism cannot exist alongside abortion. In every way possible, the two ideas are at odds with one another. As a conservative, I believe we should stand firm on this tenet no matter how it is perceived.
Without life, there is no chance for liberty or the pursuit of happiness. Tackling national security, a growing deficit, education, healthcare, and promoting limited government are worthy causes that should concern us. Still, none is as important as valuing, protecting, and fighting to preserve the sanctity of life, both in the womb and beyond. The idea that conservatism and abortion cannot be combined is often met with the complaint that such a suggestion is nothing more than a purity test. After all, shouldn’t unity be the goal of the Right? We are already fractured, so how will a more distinct division serve our goal?
There is more than enough cause to introduce a “big tent” approach on a variety of subjects. Conservatives can, and do, disagree on many issues. These discussions are appropriate for a healthy ideology. But the same should never apply to the issue of life. It is too precious, too fundamental, and too prone to attack from outside sources to allow our own to cave on.
In recent weeks, the country has seen New York allow for abortions past 24 weeks. In Virginia, a representative and governor have essentially endorsed infanticide. In New Mexico this week, an abortion bill passed the state house and would allow abortion without restriction and for any reason. If there’s ever been a time to not dilute the cause, it’s now.
In the not too distant past, Democrats claimed they wanted abortion to be “safe, legal, and rare.” In 2019, that old mantra has been exchanged for the most horrific thing imaginable: abortion at any time, for any reason. And this is considered progress? It is nothing short of barbaric.
Republicans, in office and across the nation, may feel that bending, even slightly, to the idea of abortion as part of women’s empowerment is the way to go as we move forward. We can almost expect this slight shift on the right side of the aisle as the culture continues to lean to the left. For this reason, and many others, it is vital that we never waver on the issue of life.
There is no room for abortion within a civilized society, and there is no place for it among those who call themselves conservatives.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a freelance writer and contributor to the Washington Examiner‘s Beltway Confidential blog.
