It
seems George W. Bush has once again defied
expectations, and moved towards a large goal of
his Presidency, though perhaps unnoticed by the
usual critics at this point. Lost in the details
of precisely what Bush is permitting Federal
funds for, or withholding Federal funds for, is
the fact that he has brought squarely in front of
the American people the defining moral dilemma of
our time: that of when life begins, and when we
should begin to value it with the full force of
our consciences and our laws. The problem, for
pro-lifers, with the abortion debate, is that in
reality there has been NO debate. Roe v. Wade
made all debate moot, and the American people,
while in the main uncomfortable with
abortion-on-demand, find no utility in thinking
all that much about it. The smart pundits said
Bush made a bad mistake by not moving quickly,
early in his Presidency, to simply get his
decision out of the way. The opposing sides were
given time to mobilize; now, he couldn't possibly
make everyone happy, or escape the glare of the
spotlight, whatever his decision.
However,
here's the larger result: the American people
have had on their plate real questions of where
life begins, and what it says about us all if we
dismiss it for our convenience. This period of
national consideration then culminated in an
address by a President of the United
States to the people, surely unprecedented in its
nature, explaining and probing issues of ethics
otherwise left to the "experts." An
address that included as a premise the idea that
human life begins at conception. Any true and
open debate on these issues benefits Bush's cause
of promoting a culture of life, because the
status-quo is supported more by the lack of
debate, and decision by the fiat of the elite.
The President has no better way of promoting life
than by igniting debate and prodding the
conscience of America. That, it appears, is what
he has done.