It was with some satisfaction that I watched Chris Hayes on tv earlier this evening explain how he has now come to the same conclusion that I arrived at long ago: the pro-life movement isn’t really about “life” as its adherents say, but rather about controlling women’s sexuality and preserving a patriarchal social structure. I have written before about why I have come to this conclusion. What convinced Chris? COVID. You can watch here.
He makes a great point. The very same people screeching about the sanctity of life are the same people who are screeching against wearing masks and getting vaccines to prevent any of the hundreds of thousands of COVID deaths we have endured in our country.
Over the past year we’ve essentially run an experiment that tests these two theories. Is the anti-abortion movement born out of a cynical desire to control women, enforce patriarchy and traditional gender roles? Or is it a sincerely held belief in the sanctity, the holiness of this precious thing we call human life? And after nearly 800,000 COVID deaths, I gotta say I think we have a pretty good answer.
Yes we do, Chris. Although it got me thinking. Perhaps there aren’t really two theories of the case with regard to the pro-life movement, with one having to be right and the other wrong. Human psychology is much more subtle and complicated than that. I think for many people in that camp, both things are true. It is true that the whole thing is fueled by a desire to control women but it has an outward expression as a deep concern about human life.
Why? Because wanting to control women is wrong. Nobody wants to be wrong. Nobody wants to say or even think this about themselves. Yet the desire to do it is very real. What to do? How do you resolve this cognitive dissonance? The answer is right in front of us: a movement designed to oppress women hidden behind a veil of concern about the sanctity of life. It allows you to scratch that itch all day long without ever admitting, even to yourself, what you’re really up to.