Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has the undesirable task of running for re-election in a deeply red state. To make matters worse, many of her constituents are Christians, and therefore presumably find her pro-abortion voting record appalling. As a Catholic, she has struggled mightily in the past to square her unmitigated support for abortion rights with the tenets of her faith. This is why she has come under tremendous pressure from national pro-life groups to explain herself.
To her credit, she did try to defend her voting record in a recent statement. But needless to say it didn’t go so well:
"Sen. Landrieu believes that life is precious and a gift from God, but that every birth involves at least two lives: the life of the unborn child and the life of the mother. The government should not be involved in forcing decisions that are very personal and essentially family — and private — matters," Landrieu spokesman Matthew Lehner said in a statement.
How can one declare “life is precious” and, in the very same sentence, suggest that abortion rights are sacrosanct? It is one thing to argue that unborn children (read: “fetuses”) are nothing more than a “clump of cells,” unworthy of constitutional protections. This is an argument advanced by many pro-abortion activists. It’s quite another to start with the premise that all life is “precious,” shortly before declaring government has no vested interest in ending the culture of abortion in this country. It’s a total non sequitur.
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That is to say, she can’t have it both ways. Is every life “precious and a gift from God,” or not? If not, she should say so upfront, and let the voters of Louisiana decide her fate. If it is, however, perhaps she should stop endorsing legislation that hurts both women and unborn children.
H/T: Steven Ertelt.
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