Perhaps you have heard that the president is seeking $4.5 million for abortion clinic security. The federal money would be used for alarm systems, bulletproof windows, and closed-circuit camera systems. Ostensibly, all of the money and all of these procedures are needed to counter clinic violence. As one pro-life leader put it, "There is more violence at convenience stores than at abortion clinics, but we don't see the administration seeking millions to beef up security at convenience stores."
And I think that is the point. The money that is to be spent is to make a political statement. If you want to protect citizens, there are better ways to spend the money. But this $4.5 million is being spent to protect those performing and seeking abortions. It is even questionable whether the added security features will make any difference in safety. But that's not the point. The point is to have the federal government weigh in on the side of abortion rights. It's not enough that abortion has been made legal. Your tax dollars must also be used to protect the rights of abortionists and women seeking abortion. Of course, what is lost in this whole equation is the rights of the unborn.
John Wilkie has it right. Pro-abortionists talk about women's rights. Anti-abortionists talk about the rights of the unborn. Really, as pro-lifers we should ask, "Why can't we save them both?" The woman and her baby are both important. And that is what's lost in this recent attempt to spend federal tax dollars.
The pro-life movement needs to continue to criticize those who use violence and intimidation at abortion clinics, while also criticizing those in the clinics who use violence against the unborn. Spending $4.5 million dollars to stem the threat of violence outside the clinic obscures the reality of daily violence inside those same clinics against the unborn.
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.
© 1998 Probe Ministries International