No, Betsy DeVos, Pro-Choice is Not Pro-Slavery

Betsy DeVos’ invocation of slavery to bolster her pro-life arguments this last week is not only wildly out of context and offensive to the American people, but also highly indicative of where our nation is politically.  It shows how far subcultures in the United States have grown apart, to the point where some politicians feel that the slight unifying benefits of making outrageous comparisons outweigh the costs of the people those comparisons hurt.

For those of you who just tuned in, Betsy DeVos compared being pro-life to being anti-slavery this week, and implied that being pro-choice is equivalent to being slave owners and slave-supporting states in the 1800s.  She compared the pro-life movement to President Lincoln, saying “he too contended with the pro-choice arguments of his day.” She continued to say that “Lincoln was right about the slavery ‘choice’ then, and he would be right about the life ‘choice’ today.”

To compare a modern issue to one of the greatest failings of our nation for political purposes cheapens the horrendous experiences of 10.7 million enslaved people, many of whom are ancestors of American citizens today.  Rep. Ayanna Presley responded “as a Black woman & the Chair of the abortion access task force, I invite you to come by the Hill and say this to my face. Would welcome the opportunity to educate you.” 

If anything, Rep. Presley’s response is too nice to DeVos.  I believe that as a public servant, DeVos not only needs to be educated on abortion and slavery, she owes the American people an apology.

Devos’ statement is part of a strategy that has been used to unite the right wing base.  This strategy was concocted by the pro-choice contingent during the Roe v. Wade case, and right-wing politicians have been using it sporadically since.  It is no accident that Donald Trump also attended and spoke at a pro-life march last week as well. Both the President and DeVos are invoking the abortion debate to unify the support of pro-life and evangelical communities during an impeachment trial and to prevent defectors in the upcoming election.

Evangelical Christians who make up the core of the pro-life movement can’t ignore abortion, because of the assumptions they hold.  To them, there is a clear and logical path from granting fetuses personhood to calling abortion not only slavery but murder.

This raises the question: while not compromising our policies and values, should Democrats make an effort to discuss the divide in assumptions and ideologies that exists between the two camps?  Many Democratic politicians and candidates discuss the politics of abortion, but an effort isn’t always made to reconcile the fact that one side believes that the other is supporting murder. This is a complex issue, but if we fail to address that still widely held opinion we run the risk of a divided society, political drift and the degrading of civil discourse.  

So what does DeVos’ ridiculous comparison and Trump’s political signaling mean?  It means that Republicans are not going to let abortion sit on the back burner for this campaign cycle.  It means that Roe v. Wade, the long-held decision on abortion, is going to be contested again. And it means that Democrats are going to have to make a decision.  To address the ethical concerns of the evangelical community means wading into an emotional and grimy discussion, but one that might be necessary if Democrats hope to create a culture of cooperation instead of antagonism.

The politics and discussions need to continue.  But we also cannot allow ourselves to excuse strategies such as DeVos’ comparison of abortion and slavery, because by doing so we not only confuse the modern issues further, we dishonor the experiences of the past.