I'm going to begin this post with a bit of a disclaimer: I hate the term "pro-life." I've never considered the opponents of abortion to be "pro-life." Their views of most social programs confirm Barney Frank's savagely funny joke that they view life as beginning at conception, and ending at birth. In fact, I don't think they can even be described as anti-abortion. Taken together, they're an anti-sex movement, one that wants to channel sexual energy for other conservative purposes, such as war or religion. If you remember the Anti-Sex League from George Orwell's "1984," you know exactly what I'm talking about.
That said, I will use the term "pro-life" as a term of communications convenience in this post, in order to discuss this article from Slate.com. The author notes that, according to polling data, more Americans are identifying with the pro-life position on abortion. In particular, young people are beginning to trend in that direction. The conclusion the article draws is that this is happening primarily for political rather than moral reasons--i.e., the presence of a liberal Democrat in the White House serves as fuel for those on the right generally, including pro-life activists.
That may be true for boomers on that side of the fence. For younger pro-lifers, I think it's a little different. The article quotes sources indicating that Gen Y may have had its views on abortion influenced by abstinence programs, or such scientific advances in the prenatal field such as ultrasound imaging. Those phenomenon may have had an influence, but I think something else is at work.
Post-boomer children constitute the first generation in American history that could have, in theory, been legally aborted, in whole or in part, thanks to the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. Boomers expected that being born into such a world would make those children grateful for being wanted. Instead, it has made them feel more like lucky survivors. Instead of thinking "Isn't it great? My parents loved me," they may be thinking "Thank God they didn't abort me, and prevent me from living and loving."
Keep in mind: I say that as someone who agrees that the question of an abortion should lie between the prospective mother and her doctor, and no one else. But that is not going to stop post-boomers from having what-if moments. And, if that inclines them more in the pro-life direction, so be it. In the meantime, we should all be working to reduce the need for the raising of the issues, through adoption reform and public education programs that promote birth control (including programs aimed at young audiences).
That's a pro-life position that I'll be happy to take, any day.
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