Jack Parkos | Laissez_Faire76

For many, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) may seem like the perfect choice for a libertarian like myself. Indeed, they have some good viewpoints with which I agree with. The ACLU heavily opposes the methods of the drug war while supporting free speech and privacy. Furthermore, they take aggressive stances against torture and many other cruel cases of abuse of rights. While I may not agree with the ACLU on everything, I would be able to agree to disagree on some minor issues, however, one issue makes my hesitation towards this organization extreme.

Abortion and The ACLU

Abortion is one of the largest violation of rights to many in the pro-life movement (including myself). Moreover, Planned Parenthood has one of the darkest histories of any organization in human history. One would think that an organization that claims to stand up for human rights would oppose the practice of ending a life and would be horrified at an organization that built itself on eugenics. Yet, it is just the opposite. The ACLU is a staunch supporter of Roe V Wade (more on that later) and “abortion rights” movement.

The Hypocrisy of their Anti-Discrimination

When Kentucky banned abortion on the basis of gender, race, and disability, the ACLU was quick to jump on the case. Many would assume that an organization that opposes discrimination would support this law. However, they fought against an anti-discrimination law. They claimed that it was nobody else’s business as to the reason why women wanted the procedure done. Yet, the ACLU also believed that one could not deny service to a gay couple because of their religious beliefs. Moreover, the organization claims to be a supporter of the rights of those with disabilities. However, if a woman wants to kill a fetus in the womb because of their disability, the ACLU will support their right to do so.

This is not the only example of hypocrisy when it comes to the issue of abortion. The Hyde Amendment is an amendment that bars federal funding from being used directly to fund abortion procedures. Meaning that a pro-lifer would not have to pay for a procedure they disagree with. Some people consider this is a “compromise” in the pro-life and pro-choice debate.

According to their site, the ACLU believes that

We may not all feel the same way about abortion, but we can agree that deciding whether and when to become a parent is one of the most private and important decisions a person can make.

Given the ACLU held this stance consistently, they would certainly support the Hyde Amendment. Nobody else would have a say in the procedure. However, this is not the position the ACLU takes. In fact, the ACLU has numerous articles written in favor of repealing the Hyde Amendment on their site. What this means is that a pro-life Christian must mind their own business and has no say in abortion, however, they must be forced to pay the cost through taxes. How is any of this pro-liberty?

ACLU on Roe V Wade

An ACLU article states that the Hyde Amendment is not “written law,” however, what is interesting is how the organization believes that Roe v Wade is “written law” that cannot be overturned. Roe V Wade is one of the most controversial and worst supreme court rulings. The case had little to no constitutional basis and was clearly politically motivated.

The ACLU claims to want to defend constitutional rights. But the constitution never states abortion as a right. The Federalist Papers were the essays defining the basis of the constitution. Not once do they declare abortion a right. In fact, they believed that the state and local governments should handle the majority of issues related to this. The Tenth Amendment clearly states this, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states, respectively, or to the people.” Since the constitution does not specifically state abortion as a right, unlike it does the right to bear arms, it is not a federal issue. Furthermore, the 14th amendment should guarantee equal rights for equal citizens, but abortion takes away the right to life from the baby, which all people have.

Why the ACLU Should Drop Abortion

Many people, particularly on the right would agree with many of the issues brought forth by the ACLU (such as free speech) but disagree on abortion. This only turns off many people who agree with civil liberty. The ACLU is more of an appeal to progressivism than it is to liberty. This is the view many hold.

If the ACLU dropped abortion they could have many constitutionalists on the right come to their side so that they could focus on issues they could agree on.

71 Republic takes pride in our distinctively independent journalism and editorials. Every dollar you give helps us grow our mission of providing reliable coverage. Please consider donating to our Patreon.

Featured Image Source