Summary | Response to John Stossel on Abortion
For the past 50 years, the abortion debate has been a polarized issue with common ground on either side. This polarization has created a perfect storm that suggests a deeply divided country.
A single data point gets twisted by both sides. 61% of Americans believe 1st trimester abortion (up to 13 weeks) should be legal. The pro-choice side twists this to say, “most Americans are support abortion rights.” The pro-life side twists the same data point to say, “most Americans support restrictions on abortion.”
I don’t see it this way. I think most Americans exist in a gray middle. They’re the ones who say, “I’m pro-choice, but …” or I’m pro-life, but …”. Most Americans intuitively recognize abortion is wrapped up in tangential issues. So, abortion is a concession, not an ideal, in the mind of most. Failure to imagine a life-affirming alternative to the status quo leads to this concession.
I was recently invited to be a guest on John Stossel’s show to discuss abortion, and was joined by Avens O’Brien; a pro-choice libertarian of feminists for liberty.
I have a great deal of respect for John Stossel and what he does. And I appreciate the opportunity to be featured on his show and alongside O’brien.
However, I think Stossel missed an opportunity. I hold that libertarianism is a true alternative to the polarized paradigm we’ve been stuck in.
In this episode, I sat down with Doug Stuart of the Libertarian Christian Institute to discuss some important elements of the interview with Stossel that didn’t make it into the final edit.
Join me, Kerry Baldwin, as we Dare to Think about libertarianism changes the abortion debate.
Main Points of Discussion
| 01:52 | Background to John Stossel episode |
| 07:02 | John Stossel on Abortion in full |
| 12:42 | Opening commentary |
| 14:03 | Where do we agree? |
| 15:09 | The problem of enforcement and drug bans |
| 16:51 | A person exists inside another person |
| 19:02 | My hope and the missed opportunity |
| 22:34 | Avens O’Brien’s nuances |
| 24:15 | Initial reactions to Dobbs v Jackson |
| 28:41 | Why even Christian women are worried about the overturn of Roe v Wade |
| 31:08 | Militant anti-abortion abolitionists are supporting Joe Biden’s failed criminal justice legacy |
| 32:16 | Women justified in the felt threat from the state |
| 34:01 | Pro-lifers “work not done yet” – what does this mean? |
| 35:27 | What I’d like to see libertarians do moving forward |
Resource Links
Original episode of John Stossel on Abortion
