June 18, 2009
"Abortion On Demand" is a sexist ellipsis
By Daniel C. Maguire I describe "abortion on demand"
as a sexist ellipsis. It has an
object, abortion, a verb, demand (with implications
of arbitrariness and
stridency) but the subject, i.e. "a woman,"
is elided, not mentioned So
the full phrase is abortion on the demand of a
woman. When I was
researching my book on affirmative action I found that in
early responses
to feminism the term "strident" was often used re
feminist women. An
interesting word. (Stridor dentiium, the grinding of teeth.)
I find the
"demand" verb and that ellipsis redolent of all of that
so I don't
recommend the expression..
The consistent life ethic seeks
a consistency that reality does not
afford. It fails to make distinctions where
there are differences. Thus
an abortion by a rape or incest victim or by a
woman diagnosed with
cancer who needs immediate chemotherapy is not the moral
equivalent of
capital punishment or state sponsored violence, i.e. war.