Tomi Lahren, abortion and constitutional conservatism
Note: This is a slightly modified version of what I posted on Google Plus after the story broke.
Conservative pundit Tomi Lahren stirred up a hornet's nest when she said she was "pro-choice," as conservatives rushed to pronounce a rising star in conservative media is not really a conservative. As is usually the case, this is a case of Internet outrage that would be much better if people would calm down, take a deep breath and think instead of react emotionally.
First, let's actually try to get our facts straight. Lahren did not say that all pro-life people are hypocrites. She said that, as a self-professed constitutional conservative she would be a hypocrite to want abortion to be illegal. She is wrong (more on that later) but that does not translate into believing or saying that all abortion opponents are hypocrites. It is a statement about her own beliefs and what she feels is consistent with those beliefs. It is an understandable, if wrong, position for those who advocate for small government.
I have been called Lahren's "biggest fanboi" and was told I "love" her more than my pro-life beliefs and my allies in the pro-life movement because I pointed this out. Apparently nuance is very difficult for some people. I honestly do not have a strong opinion about Lahren one way or the other, because I and have not followed much of what she says or watched more than a couple of her videos. I do think that she should be afforded the courtesy of responding to what she said, instead of hysteria - something that everyone deserves.
Lahren, of course, is wrong. Banning abortion is not a violation of individual liberty or a position inconsistent with limited government or constitutional rights. The heart of libertarianism is basically this: You can do as you please until you harm someone else. That harm to someone else is the unborn baby dismembered to death without anesthesia by the abortionist. The person harmed has her brain ripped out and her skull crushed. The person harmed is soaked in acid and burned to death.
Banning abortion, then, is no different from making rape illegal. Criminalizing abortion is no different than criminalizing the murder of a three year old child. Because man is inherently wicked and totally corrupted by sin, government exists to provide basic boundaries on behavior and protect the weak from being victimized by the strong. There is no more perfect example of that than protecting the life of a helpless unborn baby.
Finally, Lahren and her defenders would be better off defending her position on abortion than asserting she has the right to her opinion. Of course she has the right to her opinion. That does not make her opinion right, well-reasoned or well-argued. Let's have this discussion. Maybe she can be convinced that she is wrong? That cannot be accomplished by simply screeching at her?