Thomas Edsall wrote a typically windy column about the relationship between racism and opposition to abortion rights a few days ago. The reality is that the two run in parallel, and are often found in the same people, but are not identical.
The syllogism on abortion typically runs like this:
- God is a man. The Bible says so.
- Man was created first. He is the default, as it were, and consequently has the right to rule.
- Eve ruined everything by succumbing to Satan, and persuading Adam to do likewise.
- Women, following Eve, are responsible for all sexual sins through their ability to tempt men from their adherence to God’s law. As a result, their behavior must be strictly controlled by men. Prohibiting abortion is an obvious part of that package.
If this sounds like something the Taliban would say, so be it. When you combine these attitudes with lost status for men in the knowledge economy, you have a formula for instability.