Saturday, April 13, 2024

The Top 5 (April 13)

* "On Abortion, Donald Trump Goes The Way Of Stephen A. Douglas" (John Daniel Davidson, Federalist)

From the article -- By taking this stand, that abortion should not be a federal issue, Trump has not just betrayed his pro-life supporters but taken the side of Stephen A. Douglas over Abraham Lincoln. He has insisted that popular sovereignty, not moral principle, should decide the abortion question, just as Douglas insisted popular sovereignty in the new federal territories must decide the slavery question...

As Lincoln understood about slavery back in the 1850s, the eventual political consequences of tolerating abortion in some states will be the acceptance of it in all the states. (We’ve already seen this with the abortion referendums in Kansas and Ohio, with more referendums on the way.) Moral neutrality on abortion — Trump’s “popular sovereignty” approach — will weaken the foundation for legal prohibition and open the way to tolerance and eventually political acceptance.

* "Trump’s Mixed Messaging On Abortion And IVF Plays Right Into Democrats’ Electoral Strategy" (Jordan Boyd, Federalist)

From the article -- The Republican once hailed as the most successful pro-life president in American history made clear on Monday that he is softening his position on abortion and beefing up his support for in vitro fertilization ahead of the 2024 general election.

Former President Donald Trump has a history of criticizing heartbeat bills when they come from his political rivals, misrepresenting the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs v. Jackson decision, and wrongfully blaming Republicans’ 2022 midterm losses on their unapologetically pro-life positions. His recent declaration on “abortion rights” only further confirms that his once-celebrated pro-life track record doesn’t meet voters’ demands of a Republican president.

 * "YouTube Spreads Abortion Pill Misinformation" (Stephen Kokx, Human Life Review)

From the article -- Pro-lifers point out that while abortion pills are dangerous in themselves, using them alone and without medical supervision can be especially harmful. To that end, ADF released a video in February titled “Abortion Drugs are High-Risk. We must hold the FDA Accountable for Removing Commonsense Safeguards.” The minute-long clip featured a woman who said she suffered “intense pain and prolonged bleeding” after taking abortion pills on her own.

YouTube added a “context” note to the video in response, claiming that abortion, whether medicinal or surgical, is “done by a licensed healthcare professional.” Attorneys generals from 16 states sent a letter to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan arguing that the note was not only misleading but also false, as chemical abortions are NOT done “by a health professional.”

* "Admit it, Dawkins, you totally screwed up" (Laura Perrins, The Conservative Woman)

From the article -- Dawkins was part of a group of New Atheists who after 9/11 were all the rage for a while, a bit like bell bottoms, although you don’t hear much from them now. Goodness, what an insufferably smug bunch they were: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett, as well as Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Hitchens has passed on and Ayaan Hirsi Ali has converted to Christianity. Dawkins now declares himself a ‘cultural Christian’..

I can perhaps understand why Dawkins and Co didn’t want to focus on Islamic extremism and instead pushed the idea that children gathering around the crib at Christmastime was just as mad and bad as flying planes into buildings. Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, and if you want to stay alive these days, best to keep your mouth shut when talking about certain belief systems. Still, Dawkins is now in a panic. He is suffering from buyer’s remorse.

* "Repentance Brings Revival" (Franklin Graham, Decision)

From the article -- Few were worse than King Manasseh, the son of righteous King Hezekiah. His 55-year reign was marked by great wickedness and evil. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He built altars to false gods. He practiced sorcery and divination, and even sacrificed his very own son in the fire. He also shed much innocent blood (2 Kings 21:1-18). Can you even imagine such evil?  The compiler of the Chronicles, however, pens a wonderfully encouraging addition to the distressing narrative of the kings that should give hope to all who feel they are unworthy of God’s reconciling love, even those who have committed great sin in their lives.