Pro-Life? Really?

Since the Reagan Administration first embraced and got in bed with the religious right, a cornerstone of Right Wing ideology has been the so-called “pro-life” stance. In my thinking, they are anything but. What? You ask? The righties are not “pro-life?” In a word, no. Of course they are against abortion and many types of birth control. So that makes them “pro-birth.” Once the child is born, their interest drops off dramatically.

They don’t favor universal health care to help ensure that all babies born have an opportunity to grow up with their health care needs being met. They attack public education at every opportunity. They want to slash funding, increase class size, and pay teachers less. Even if you know a rightie that says they favor support of public education, then ask them why they don’t favor paying for it. The same goes for health care. They will tell you it is all about being personally responsible, about taking care of yourself. Once that child gets older, they don’t support mandating a fair wage so that child can raise of family of his or her own. Interestingly enough, they are more than happy to support that child going into the military. Hey-more kids means more soldiers, right? And they most assuredly are not “pro-life” when it comes to Iraqi civilians, if they support this tragic war.

And then we go to the end of life, where many on the right want to dismantle Social Security. End Medicare. And perhaps most tragically of all, interfere with end of life decisions. Here in Oregon, they challenge the law providing for physician assisted suicide in certain cases. They rally around a hot-button case like that of Terry Schiavo, intent on forcing her husband to continue her life long after it was already over.

So I refuse to call the far right “pro-life.” I propose new terms. Like “pro-birth.” Or “anti-birth control.” But definitely not “pro-life.”