Posts Tagged ‘uganda’

It’s easy to get distracted by the fights and struggles that take place within our country. It’s logical, really… after all, the effort to pass or block laws that help or hurt Americans are the ones that most obviously impact our lives. And so it’s easy to forget, with our limited time and energy, that people in other countries can have it much worse. I was recently reminded of this by news of a proposed law in Uganda that’s expected to pass soon. The bill’s title? The “Anti-Homosexual Bill.” The bill would do several things. First, it states that anyone who is aware of a gay man and fails to report him to the authorities can face a prison term of three years. Second, it makes it a crime to speak in defense of gays and lesbians in public, with the penalty being a jail term of seven years. Finally, it proscribes a punishment to gay men who are HIV positive and men who are found to be “repeat offenders” of acting on the gay: the death penalty.

Yep. Uganda is proposing to put to death people with HIV and gays, simply because they have HIV or are gay. Again, this legislation is expected to pass.

Now, what does this have to do with hypocrisy in the pro-life movement? Well…

A religious fundamentalist organization called the Family (aka the Fellowship) has been in the news a bit lately. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone… the Family generally tries to keep itself under wraps. Among its current and former members are dozens of high ranking government officials, including Senators, Representatives, military brass, and yes… even Presidents. (Some current members of the family, such as Rep. Heath Shuler of NC, even live at one of the Family’s buildings.)

In case you haven’t guessed yet, the Family has been a huge supporter of the current president of Uganda (a strong proponent of the legislation), funneling money and other resources to the government. The writer of the Anti-Homosexual Bill is even rumored to be a member of the Family. In other words, these powerful politicians in Washington are both directly and indirectly helping to pass a bill in Uganda that seeks to execute gays and lesbians.

So who are the members of the Family? Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not just comprised of evangelical Republicans. Several Democrats are members, including the aforementioned Shuler, Rep. Michael Doyle (D-PA), and the now-infamous Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI). Perhaps unsurprisingly, members tend to be virulently anti-choice.

Because I don’t wish to bore you by running through every member of the Family, I’m just going to focus on two. Two men who have achieved fairly prominent political careers, in part by dialing up the anti-choice, “pro-life,” rhetoric… and who are helping to pass a bill to murder people because of HIV status and because of who they love. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), often called the most conservative member of the Senate, has been an outspoken critic of abortion rights. Earlier this year, on the 36th anniversary of Roe v Wade, he had this to say:”Each year on this day, hundreds of thousands of Americans who support the sanctity of life gather to fight for a culture of life in America.” DeMint values the sanctity of life so much that he thinks people should be put to death because of who they are. If that’s not placing a premium on the value of life, I’m not sure what is.

And then there’s Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), who unsuccessfully tried to secure the 2008 Republican nomination for President. During the campaign, he lambasted Mitt Romney for refusing to call abortion murder. Well, in my admittedly biased opinion, people can argue for decades over whether abortion is murder, Senator Brownback… but you know what is murder? MURDER, you $%#$!.

Again, some of you may feel like I’m being unfair on some of these politicians. Just because they belong to a group doesn’t mean they support everything the group does… and yes. I admit that. But this isn’t some small thing… we’re talking about exterminating of people because of who they are (not to mention further marginalizing, and pushing underground, people with HIV/AIDS… a troubling situation for a country where HIV/AIDS rates appear to be rising). And if any of these men really valued life as much as they claim to, they’d speak out. They’d have to.

But none of them are, which can only lead me to conclude that it’s just an act, a sham. These men don’t really value life. They value rhetoric. They value divisiveness and incitement. These are some of the heroes of the anti-choice movement… and they can’t even come close to believing what they espouse.

I mean, if you’re going to place a premium on the value of life, do it. Don’t just talk about it. Do it. I may not agree with everything you’d stand for, but at least I could respect you. But for these men, it won’t happen… because it’s not politically expedient for them. I find it somewhat ironic that pro-choicers, who are so often labeled murderers or are said to have a complete disregard for life… they’re the ones who seem to care most about it. Who seem to care most about the safety, the treatment, and the well-being of fellow humans. Who don’t use incendiary language to incite violence against others. And who don’t completely disregard the supposed beliefs that are most important to them in a cynical ploy to divide people and garner support.

And they call pro-choicers the immoral ones.

What do you think? Any more examples of overt hypocrisy within the anti-choice crowd? Share in the comments!