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Progressivism: The After-Birth Abortion Ideology

Mar. 7, 2012 10:44am

Nick Rizzuto is a producer for Real News on The Blaze TV

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Both sides of the political spectrum appeared to be appalled at the suggestion made by Australian ethicists Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva that newborns “are not persons,” making them ineligible for the rights western society traditionally affords them and opening the door to the moral acceptability of what they term the ”after-birth abortion.” Hand wringing aside, what makes this idea dangerous to us here in America is that it is absolutely consistent with Progressive ideology, the dominant political ideology of the left.

For some historical context, the Greek city-state of Sparta provides us with the first documented program of systematic after-birth abortion. A Spartan child born with a deformity or who was perceived in any way as being weak would be thrown into a chasm. For these ancient Greeks, the program was a winning proposition. The death of the inferior child reduced the strain on scarce resources. It made perfect sense for a society that considered austerity to be chief among virtues. The greatest minds of the time saw nothing particularly unethical about what Spartan society was doing. In fact, the idea was even co-opted by Plato as an integral component of his utopian Republic.

Fast forward 25 centuries or so and the American Government’s plan to subsidize population control measures is still, ultimately, a strategy for controlling the consumption of resources. Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius accidentally let that fact slip recently, when in front of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health she said, “The reduction in the number of pregnancies compensates for the cost of contraception.” It’s simply a matter of dollars and cents.

Further evidence is supplied by Science Czar John P. Holdren and can be found in his 1969 book Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment. Holdren, along with his co-authors, writes “Worldwide population limitation must be accompanied by other major changes if…the already awesome burden of human misery is to be kept from increasing.” In other words there’s just not enough to go around, let’s reduce the number of mouths to feed.

But while Sebelius and Holdren’s rational might be similar to those of the Kings of Sparta, most could be forgiven for believing with Spartan morality a distant speck in humanity’s rear view mirror, population control measures would be limited to measures leveled against the “pre-born” or through purely voluntary means (the west’s dalliance with eugenics and compulsory sterilization not withstanding).

Enter the progressive “ethicist”.

Giubilini and Minerva explain the rationale behind their judgment saying that, “Both a fetus and a newborn certainly are human beings and potential persons, but neither is a ‘person’ in the sense of ‘subject of a moral right to life’”

Life, long held to be a natural right afforded to all, has been replaced with a nebulous idea of a moral right afforded to some. What is a moral right? It’s anything the ethicists say it is. To whom is it afforded? Whomever the ethicists decide.

To summarize, the Australian duo, through somewhat circular reasoning, has decided that the approximately 367,000 babies born every day (according to the Census Bureau’s global population clock) are born into a state of non-personhood, remain in that state until the ethicists decide otherwise, and while in that state their elimination would rank on the scale of unethical acts somewhere between stealing a pack of gum and falling asleep.

Are you awake yet?

By eliminating natural rights from the equation, Giubilini and Minerva eliminated the moral barrier standing between a civil society and genocidal age discrimination.

While we might be shocked to see such a casual disregard for the moral foundations of Western society in a modern academic journal, the two are not exactly breaking new ground. Progressivism rejected natural rights in the 19^th and 20^th century. Hero of progressive academics John Dewey, for example, dismissed the idea of natural rights as a “pre-scientific” concept that finds its roots in “medieval religion.” President Woodrow Wilson took the same rout when he dismissed the introduction of the Declaration of Independence as “the least part” of the document, holding that “we hold these truths to be self-evident…” was outdated rhetoric.

Progressives will not allow morality to be influenced by some ancient text or idea from the 17^th century. Right and wrong will be spelled out on the pages of academic journals like the one that published Giubilini and Minerva.

With the benefit of 2500 years of hindsight, the Spartans can be excused for their moral failings, as they didn’t have the benefit of the philosophical concept of natural rights. No such excuse can be made for us in the 21^st century. The suggestion that after-birth abortions are ethically acceptable is not a new idea, but rather an old idea dressed up in new language. It represents one of the clearest indications yet that Western society is on a path that will return her to a barbaric past.

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Comments (13)

MrButcher
Posted on March 31, 2012 at 10:36pm
Very well written piece!

However, “natural rights/laws” are indefinable since they are contingent upon many variables unknown to humanity.

ALWAYS KEEP THIS IN MIND!

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Slowman101
Posted on March 12, 2012 at 8:11am
Obama should be next to be aborted out of office.

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christianUSA
Posted on March 12, 2012 at 3:21am
Opinion: Without real Bible Judean/Christian there are no morals limits and worst than animal barbarism is what will come; even now most Biblical laws are ignored or minimalized, most are violated legally and frequently without regard; it has now come to nonchristians demanding Christian pay for others murders of their unborn babies, demand acceptance of gays as moral-guilds/pastors, demand that Christian children be taught primarily these nonchristian ideology from early childhood, and their twisted excuses for why it ok to murder born breathing children, elderly, deformed, and ill people for which many a unholy-wood shows emotional fictions excuse arguments in favor! Most of this by volume has all happen in just 50 years! In what moral/control way/s is this to be different than currently in communist countries? It is in the interwoven teaching in public schools these antibible and antiMoral ideologies are indoctrinated which are the main core cause/progression of these ideologies.

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burnbabylon
Posted on March 10, 2012 at 2:10am
Prov 14:12 There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
I think this is coming from Utilitarians. It has the hedonist equation and the collective mindset. The greatest happiness for the greatest number. Hedonists are generally collectivists, and thieves, since it is more fun to drink if someone else is buying the booze.
So we have these thieving, drunken ethicists deciding to whom to apply the rights of life, liberty, and happiness. And that would be the utilitardians themselves.
The problem with their ideas is that society can only stand so many parasites. Too many and it collapses.
And they are trying to increase their numbers, through recruitment anyway.
Prov 16:29 A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him into the way that is not good.
Prov 14:15 The simple believes every word…
So you have the pimps from Planned Parenthood teaching children what they want your children to know about the wonders of promiscuity and perversion.
And you can’t criticize those things, or those who do those things, without being called intolerant.
In this they are like an H.I.V. for society. They ignore, or condone, the pathogens while attacking the immune system.
So they throw stones at you for trying to keep them from getting people to jump off a cliff. Then they want you to take care of those that get hurt. That sounds like Matt. 4:6 and socialized medicine.
But I’m no angel. Not recently anyway.
Warn your kids about utilitur

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- burnbabylon
  Posted on March 10, 2012 at 2:15am
  Darn, cut it too close. Utiliturdians.
  
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Tx Spud Bar
Posted on March 9, 2012 at 2:42pm
Planned parenthood is indoctrinating our youth at an early age .They are peddling sex, and abortion.The democrats are destroying our constitution.Under the guise of contraception our religious freedom is under attack .Every time a 15 year old is courted to abort there baby ,which is what they advocate without there parents consent is an attack on our freedom.Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is the declaration for all unborn children.What right do I have to murder a gift from God.The left will argue ,rape ,incest ,disease.These are nothing more than symptoms of an immoral society in decline. The left want to treat the symptom not the disease . We have run God from school, City hall,all our public places,our national sin is manifesting itself in our politics , our leaders have no moral compass .God is taking back the physical wealth he promised to Abraham’s dependents.We as the USA need to get on our knees ,humble ourselves and ask for Gods forgiveness.We have watered down his 10 commandments,killed his children,defiled his Sabbath, perverted marriage , changed Gods Holy Feasts and High Sabbaths. People ask why tornadoes,hurricanes,earthquakes,or any (natural disaster) if there is a loving God.Go read Amos 3:6-7.If we don’t turn back to God we are doomed to national slavery as the prophets wrote .

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sbenard
Posted on March 8, 2012 at 8:50pm
This is a natural progression from Roe v. Wade. Our civilization is no longer one that respects and honors life! Just as the right for government to kill didn’t end with abortion of the unborn, it now has moved beyond that to the post-born. It won’t end there, either. The Complete Lives system embedded in Obamacare will also deny care to the elderly and the “defective” (those born with disabilities). The Netherlands now have mobile suicide assistance units for those who seek to “end it all”! It won’t end there, either. As resources become ever more scarce, eventually criminals will be denied care and ultimately, so will political opponents.
Progressivism IS tyranny, and it has found a home in America!

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mllewis9171
Posted on March 8, 2012 at 3:38pm
If, as Justice Ginsburg believes, we should give up on those “old” ideas in the Constitution because it is too old, why in the world should we go back thousands of years to such an old outdated idea as selective murder. I’d like to hear Justice Ginsburg address that question.

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- donsfirstwife
  Posted on March 9, 2012 at 2:25pm
  Personally I think Justice Ginsberg is too old. What would she think about people thinking she is too old? Would she voluntarily call one of those mobile death vans? Or would she scream bloody murder to be saved to make more erroneous judicial decisions? I am not in favor of mercy killings, abortions or the post birth abortion nonsense. Only God can help get us out of this mess.
  
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Heff
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:04pm
Although well written, this piece is a back alley ABORTION of logic.

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- swankyc
  Posted on March 8, 2012 at 12:29am
  Why reach all the way back to Sparta. One need not look further than that top rated left wing Democrat Wilson’s Eugenics laying the foundation for Hitler’s left wing Germany. Fumbling with morality like this will lead to mass-murder, like it always does. Why are you left wingers so cavalier about mass murder?
  
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- Melvin Spittle
  Posted on March 9, 2012 at 1:28am
  You made the staement Heff, now back it up with an example, if you please.
  
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MichiganPatriot
Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:51am
Evil is upon us! Prepare for the darkness.

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