Wednesday, February 06, 2019

'Pro-lifers' taking same disastrous route into hysteria as anti-marriage equality movement

Taking advantage of attempts to pass bills in several states loosening restrictions on abortions done late in pregnancy (which would be done in case that the mother's life is in danger or the child has severe complications), conservatives and the religious right have pushed the lever of mass hysteria to the highest degree. According to Politico:

Republicans are launching a multi-pronged strategy to try to keep “late-term abortions” in the spotlight, a thorny political issue that they hope will put vulnerable Democrats in a tough spot and excite their conservative base. It’s a move that House Republicans are pushing in part to capitalize on comments President Donald Trump made during Tuesday’s State of the Union address, when he used the high-profile platform to call for legislation banning abortions later in a pregnancy.

In addition,  organizations such as the Family Research Council, the American Family Association as well as right wing activists have been posting "articles," spreading memes, and passing along hashtags claiming that these bills are nothing more than "infanticide" and that the Democratic Party intent on murdering healthy babies coming out of the womb.

And of course, even Fox News has gotten into the act of spreading the lie with its latest disgrace of a journalist, Ainsley Earhardt. Her claim that the Democratic Party care more about abused geese than children was low, even for someone working for that network which employs her.

It's all deliberate madness created to scare the gullible, inflame the ignorant, and obscure much needed education on the subject.

And it's so familiar. This right-wing free-fall into coordinated hysterics is not unlike the one they undertook when they attempted save America (and let's not forget the children.) from the evils of gay marriage, i.e. marriage equality.  While they didn't use hashtags back then and their coordination wasn't as crisp, they certainly made up for it with their horror anecdotes and whispery low tones  about how children will "lose their innocence"




Or how those who oppose marriage equality will be "attacked" and called bigots:



They went from state to state telling all of these lies, chalking up victories in referendums and the like. But we all know how it ended, don't we.

Their game got old when they realized that while it's easy to scare people with lies, you must have facts in a court of law. And they simply had none to back up their position. They had spent so much time whipping up fear and hysteria that they failed to create a sound argument against marriage equality. Their failure spelled their doomed in several court cases, particularly at SCOTUS.

The point is lies can only go so far. Sooner or later, the lie will fall apart and abandon you. And just like they were left stewing in their own juices and griping about "activists" judges" in the case of marriage equality, I suspect that conservatives will face a huge backlash in this case with regards to abortion.

Related posts:

Dear Proposition 8 supporters - You lost because you lied

Marriage equality opponents need to face the reality of why they lost

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