Angry Versus Convincing

Essayist Anne Lamott had an editorial last Friday in the LA Times on abortion. She convinced me of one thing: she's angry. Yes, the issue angers her, like, oh, it does about 200 million other Americans--and she's on the winning side!

However, being passionate (that's a more neutral word) doesn't mean you have a good argument. (It also doesn't mean you're making a smart political move, as ColumbusGuy would have it. [Columbus Guy says: Pop quiz, LAGuy: Was I supporting it or opposing it?])

A lot of the piece is on how brave Anne was to speak out for abortion rights in a meeting of progressive Christians. (She later finds out most of them were Catholics--whew, good thing she didn't know that earlier!) In fact, she spends so much time on the drama she only has time for a conclusory statement or two regarding the issue itself. (I guess that figures. She believes abortion rights are "common sense" and says "I could not believe that men committed to equality and civil rights were still challenging the basic rights of women." By the way, Anne, before you make this about men versus women, you'll find women are just as opposed to abortion as men, and men favor it as much as women.)

In the penultimate paragraph, she finally gets down to her real argument:

But as a Christian and a feminist, the most important message I can carry and fight for is the sacredness of each human life, and reproductive rights for all women is a crucial part of that: It is a moral necessity that we not be forced to bring children into the world for whom we cannot be responsible and adoring and present. We must not inflict life on children who will be resented; we must not inflict unwanted children on society.

That's it? Unwanted children? It's the worst argument there is. It applies equally--no, better--to killing children already born. (And let's ask them when they're in their 20s if they regret not having been aborted.) But you say there's a major difference between killing a newborn baby and snuffing out a potential life? Fine, then make that argument, rather than waste my time.

And when you make that argument, Anne, a suggestion: a little less passion, a little more reason.