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It only took fifty years [1]

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Date: 2022-07-01

Think about it, nearly fifty years. That’s how long it took to organize against Roe v Wade. Nearly a life time of organizing, planning, strategizing and compromising. I’m pro-choice, as flummoxed as anyone that settled law was so quickly overturned, but I understand. As a Presbyterian, I don’t understand why pro-choice advocates still can’t see that, for all their flaws, church goers are very effective organizers. In contrast, for all their virtues, Progressives can’t organize their way out of paper bag.

We should have seen the signs early on. When I was in college in the 1970s the Equal Rights Amendment was sweeping through the states. Then came a quiet lady by the name of Phyllis Schlafly. Militant college feminists like myself laughed at her. Phyllis gave us a lot to work with, her old fashion hair style, granny dresses, the way she would nod and smile when male commentators dominated the conversations. The ERA faded from sight, and disappeared completely and we didn’t see that coming. What happened? For all her cookie baking corniness, we couldn’t see Phyllis was as radical as we were, just with a different approach. We progressive feminists marched in the streets, waving signs, yelling. Phyllis Schlafly organized ladies lunches and teas, where she could tap in the uneasiness traditional women felt about a rapidly changing world. She fed that uneasiness, and then urged traditional women to contact their political representatives and start to get politically active. Phyllis Schlafly was Catholic but she effectively reached out and formed coalitions with Protestants, Mormons, and Traditional Jews. This was quickly noticed by Republicans. Liberals didn’t see a thing.

Contrast this with recent Progressive movements. I got excited about “Occupy Wall Street” movement which would at last address the growing economically inequality in the United States. Trade Unions, progressive clergy and educators were curious about the movement, and it could have achieved effective coalitions for the Progressives, instead it ended when the weather got cold. My town had marches for BLM, until the weather got cold. It’s summer and the marches haven’t returned. I suspect this is the plan. Women are marching now, but the weather will get cold, they’ll return to college and work and after awhile, everyone will just adjust to the new norm. Traditionalists are patient people, they can just wait the outrage out.

A new approach has to be explored. The Catholic Church has lasted 2,000 years. No matter what Progressives predict, it’ll still be around when we are all on the other side of the soil. The fact is, when life actually begins has been debated by religious institutions for hundreds of years. Abortion is not specifically prohibited in the Bible, not one of the ten commandments. I think liberals need to be able to debate the subject of when life begins on a spiritual level, taking the approach based on religious text that even Religious Right can respect. Traditionalism change their minds slowly, so we have to learn that patience is a virtue. I know atheists will insist that they can’t taint themselves by acquiring knowledge to make a spiritual case for the pro-choice side, but if the Devil can quote scripture to suit his purposes, why not?

This is subject not to be ignored, because it’ll grow in the future. The Latin population in the United States is increasing and that culture tends to be traditional, family oriented and church-going. To progressives the church represents repression, and gender inequality, but we have realize to many the church presents stability, comfort and social services in a heartless, unfair world. Lets not continue to underestimate that.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/1/2107714/-It-only-took-fifty-years

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