The Dark Side of the Pro-Life Movement: Exposing Inconsistencies and Hypocrisy

Strategic Insights -

The recent actions of Louisiana's Republican attorney general, Jeff Landry, reveal a disturbing trend within the pro-life movement. He withheld $39 million from the city of New Orleans to punish the local government for not enforcing the state's new abortion law, despite there being no abortion facilities in the state. This incident highlights the movement's disdain for life after birth, particularly in low-income communities where resources are scarce. Meanwhile, New York Times data analyst Nate Cohn's analysis of state-level voting patterns suggests that only seven states are "pro-life" enough to vote against abortion rights, yet these states have some of the worst systems of support for expectant mothers and fetuses.

Key Takeaways:

  • The pro-life movement's chief defining feature is a raging contempt for life, particularly in low-income communities.
  • Only seven states (Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Arkansas, and Utah) would likely vote against abortion rights, and these states have the worst systems of support for expectant mothers and fetuses.
  • Mississippi and Alabama have the worst rates of infant and maternal mortality, while Louisiana and Oklahoma have the highest rates of uninsured women.
  • The states that refuse to support life after birth, such as the six states that have never passed a minimum-wage law, are the same ones that oppose abortion rights.
  • Pro-choice states, on the other hand, have the broadest systems of life support during pregnancy, childbirth, and the child's early years, including paid family and medical leave, expanded Medicaid coverage, and higher minimum wages.
  • The pro-life movement's determination to punish women for having unwanted pregnancies is rooted in a punitive misogyny, particularly a refusal to grant women autonomy over their own lives.
  • White evangelical Protestants are the only religious group with a majority opposing abortion rights, with 25% support and 75% opposition, while white Catholics and Hispanic Catholics have 64% and 75% support, respectively.

Statistics:

  • Only 44% of voters in Mississippi and Alabama support abortion rights (Source: Nate Cohn's analysis).
  • 48% of voters in Oklahoma and Wyoming support abortion rights.
  • 49% of voters in Arkansas and Utah support abortion rights.
  • Mississippi ranks 50th in infant mortality and 45th in maternal mortality (Source: The New York Times).
  • Alabama ranks 48th in infant mortality and 45th in maternal mortality.
  • Louisiana ranks 49th in infant mortality and 46th in maternal mortality (Source: The New York Times).
  • Oklahoma ranks 49th in infant mortality and 46th in uninsured women.
  • Utah ranks 3rd in child poverty rate and 7th in maternal mortality rate, thanks to the Mormon Church's quasi-welfare state.

Sources:

  • Washington Post: "Abortion in New Orleans: A conflict between the state and the city" (August 19, 2022)
  • Nate Cohn, The New York Times: "How every state would vote on abortion" (August 4, 2022)
  • Berkeley IGS Survey: "Berkeley IGS Survey of Californians on November Ballot Measures" (September 7, 2022)
  • Public Religion Research Institute: "Political and Religious Activation and Polarization in the Wake of the Roe Overturn" (June 2022)
  • Wikipedia: Paul Weyrich and the Moral Majority (1979)
  • The Conversation: "The history of Southern Baptists shows they have not always opposed abortion" (August 2022)

Note: Statistics and data are derived from the provided sources and may not reflect the most up-to-date information.