THE PLANK FEBRUARY 18, 2009
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On 'Countdown' recently, Keith Olbermann accused conservatives of hypocrisy for applauding Bristol Palin's "choice" to keep her baby. How can conservatives applaud a choice that they would like to deny to other women, Olbermann wondered? I have heard a number of liberals make this exact argument. But I do not understand where the hypocrisy enters in. Pro-lifers would like to deny women the freedom to choose whether or not to go through with a pregnancy. However, we live in a society where that choice is legally permissable (in most cases). Given that the state of affairs is what it is, why is it hypocritical or wrong for pro-lifers to applaud Palin's decision to keep her baby? When conservatives say that they applaud her choice, they are not applauding the act of choosing; rather, they are registering their happiness that Palin chose to make what they consider the right decision. I happen to disagree with pro-lifers on whether abortion should be legal, but the Palin example does not make them look silly.
--Isaac Chotiner
