This post originally appeared as an op-ed in The New Hampshire Union Leader
There is growing anger across the country in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, in no small part due to unrelenting attacks on the decision by Democrats who are hoping to ride the emotional tidal wave all the way to victory in the midterms.
In New Hampshire and most other states, with varying limitations or none at all, women can still get an abortion. Some states are instituting more restrictions, and this is abhorrent to a movement that no longer supports any protections for the unborn at any point up to the moment of birth. In all the outrage and talk of a woman’s right to privacy and to “choose,” why is no one talking about the unborn child?
Imagine, for a moment, that we were talking about puppies instead of babies. In a culture where the lives of the preborn are considered completely disposable, we seem to value canine lives much more highly.
Consider this: More than 75% of millennials are choosing to lavish their parental and maternal instincts on dogs. According to one psychology professor, it’s like this: “Pets are becoming a replacement for children. They’re less expensive. You can get one even if you’re not ready to live with someone or get married, and they can still provide companionship.”
Many of us decompress with feel-good stories featuring people and animals, including compassionate humans rescuing pregnant dogs from kill shelters. Don’t get me wrong: I think it’s wonderful to bring an expectant dog that is in distress into the warmth and comfort of your home and lovingly support her during the birth process, then make sure her many puppies go to good and loving homes of their own.
Imagine for a moment if our culture were more focused on curbing unwanted animals than human children, if we stressed killing those puppies over allowing them to be born and living fulfilled and happy lives. Can you picture a single politician arguing for that? Imagine the impassioned fundraising appeals condemning the choice to end puppy lives rather than save them.
Just as with unborn puppies, there is an alternative to death for preborn human lives. But it seems Planned Parenthood has a real problem with the more humane option of adoption, making just a lone referral for every 82 abortions while stressing the negatives of adoption to pregnant mothers on their “Considering Adoption” page through a depressing series of “How does it feel?” questions. Interestingly, no such self-reflection questions are applied to the traumatic experience of having life forcibly removed from or destroyed in your body.
At a time when it’s never been harder to adopt a child in this country, we are inexplicably pushing a culture of death. The more than 63 million human lives forcibly ended before birth since Roe v. Wade became law were not only never given the chance to be nurtured in a loving home, those sad deaths are actually celebrated.
Yet, the story would likely be different if those babies were puppies. With all the love and expense we are lavishing on our pets and animals in need, am I alone in thinking there’s something fundamentally wrong with this picture?
