Carole Joffe is a familiar pro-abortion name to those of us who keep track of the comings and goings of key players in the Abortion Establishment. Rhrealitycheck.org recently ran the “lightly edited version” of the speech Prof. Joffe game October 7 in accepting the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Family Planning.
It’s an interesting talk on many levels. The gist is she is using her remarks to revisit points made in her book, “Doctors of Conscience: The Struggle to Provide Abortion Before and After Roe v. Wade.” The question in the book, which Joffe updates in her talk is, “how did involvement in abortion work affect both the personal and professional relationships of that first generation of providers whose work spanned the years immediately before and after legalization?”
In a word, it was very difficult then. Today? “[S]ome things in the world of abortion provision are different—even arguably better as I have said—and I think these things will be very consequential in the years ahead as our field pushes back against this assault.”
Prof. Joffe talks a lot about increased support from the medical societies, including those not directly involved in abortions. (It would be interesting to know if there really is that much more support in the rank-and-file today than there was decades past. Or is more of the leadership, which has close ties to the Abortion Establishment, simply purporting to speak for its memberships.)
But her principle point is that the emergence of a hodgepodge of pro-abortion organizations “many of which have overlapping memberships, has helped create a new sense of community within the abortion providing world.” I have no doubt that is true and helps bolster their collective morale.
You could make an obvious counter-point: the “overlapping memberships” mean they cross-promote one another in an absolutely shameless manner. Read the journals and the mutual back-scratching is embarrassing.
But two other things are no less true (even more, I would argue). First, Joffe notes, “It is a sociological truism that social movements lead to the creation of other ‘counter-movements.’” By that she means, of course, us.
And because she is a partisan speaking to fellow true believers Joffe can only see pro-lifers through the prism of “extremism.” The irony is that you not possibly find a more middle-of-the-road, Middle America social movement than the Pro-Life Movement. Which is one reason you often catch the whiff of elitism and snobbery when pro-abortionists talk about us.
Second, our Movement has multiple organizations which transcend every possible boundary. Everything from strictly religious organizations to those who have arisen specifically to address those who come to their pro-life conclusions based on purely secular grounds.
CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!
In the middle—the hub, if you will—is National Right to Life, the largest, single-issue pro-life organization in the world. There is no requirement to join or any limitations to your involvement.
You love unborn babies and their moms; you believe it’s crucial to defend the medically challenged and disabled from the quality-of-life set; and you believe in making a difference, not a statement—then NRLC is the home for you.
LifeNews.com Note: Dave Andrusko is the editor of National Right to Life News and an author and editor of several books on abortion topics. This post originally appeared in his National Right to Life News Today —- an online column on pro-life issues.
