(Feb. 19) Alabama’s Democratic Sen. Doug Jones is not only a pro-abortion extremist, but he’s immensely rude about it.
Next week, the Senate is expected to vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would outlaw abortions after five months, by which time children in the womb feel oft-excruciating pain. It’s an important bill, supported in concept by a very large majority of the public and even by more than 40% of Democrats.
With that vote expected so soon, it is obviously perfectly legitimate for a member of the press or a constituent to ask a senator what his position is on the issue. But, when a constituent with a camera and microphone approached Jones to ask the simple query, “Do you think abortion should be banned after five months?” Jones was as supercilious and dismissive as a pampered senator can possibly be.
“What a stupid question,” Jones said while laughing contemptuously.
Abortion is a serious subject and not to be laughed at. To many voters, it’s an important issue, perhaps the single most important to some. And Jones, with his “D” rating on a national pro-life scorecard, is hugely out of step with the majority of his Alabama constituents. Alabama is among the four most pro-life states in the union. Nonetheless, Jones supports forcing taxpayers to finance other people’s abortions, has voted against earlier versions of the post-five-month ban, and has said he will “become a right-to-lifer” only after the baby is born — in effect, making it doubtful he supports any restrictions, even in the third trimester.
There is plenty of middle ground between outright bans on abortion and full abortion on demand. Attempts to draw the line at the point when the unborn child clearly suffers are well within those gray areas meriting respectful discussion….
[The full column is here.]
