National Review Writer: Obama Likely Would Have Been Aborted, Had It Been Legal

Ed Whelan baselessly speculates in the National Review that Barack Obama's deceased mother "very possibly" would have aborted her son had Roe v. Wade been law at the time:

Nearly 48 years ago, a young woman, not yet 18, became pregnant in her freshman year of college. Living in a time and place in which abortion was generally illegal, she proceeded to marry the father of her child and gave birth to a son. Perhaps she would have done so irrespective of the abortion laws at the time, even if, say, she lived in a legal culture that celebrated abortion as a fundamental right. Very possibly not. (I haven't found any statistics on the percentage of pregnant college freshmen who abort their pregnancies, but indirect indications suggest that it's very high.)

Barack Obama may actually believe, as he stated yesterday, that Roe v. Wade "was rightly decided." But it may be very lucky for him, as the son born of that woman, that it hadn't been decided a dozen or so years earlier.

Comments

[AZ AF VET]

O M G! My girlfriend, now wife of 40 years, was in the same situation in 1968. A college student from a poor family, (yes even the poor could attend college) became pregnant. There never was a thought about abortion even had it been legal. Back then, people took more responsibility for their actions I believe. I think the best part of Mr. Whalan must have run down his daddy's leg.

[runutz]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if she wanted to terminate she would have - this is a bit sick for my 2 cents - she obviously didn't, she's dead so she can't speak to this herself.

[RJII]

republicans do not represent all americans. they are scared hate mongers.

Obama's mother married interracial and had a interracial child, at a time when these republicans would have stoned her to death for trying to have the american family.

[murly]

So this guy is saying that abortion shouldn't be legal because Barack Obama wouldn't exist if it had been back when Obama was conceived. But by that logic, the Repub stance against premarital sex is wrong too, because Obama wouldn't exist if his 18-year-old unmarried mother hadn't had sex back then. In fact, there are thousands and thousands of people who wouldn't exist now if their ancestors had waited to have sex until they were old enough to marry. There are also thousands and thousands of people who do not exist because their would-be ancestor died in childhood or never had children. Face it. We're all here by random chance.

[YellerDawg]

I avoided this story at first because if appalled me that anyone would make such a claim. When I finally lowered myself into the slime and read it, the absolute silliness of Whelan's assumption was unavoidable. It is, however, part and parcel of the Repugnant Party Slime Machine. They have no shame.

[GrandmaSue]

Are you listening Bristol Palin, you are very possibly supposed to abort your baby according to some writer who shares your mother's political views. Go figure!

[grizhead63]

Any way to give Whelan's mother a second chance?

[my2cnts]

let's see.. now was the nat review writer arguing FOR abortion..­. cuz then mc cain could have been president!

[ElectricEye]

That's funny since all of the people at National Review are poster children for retroactive abortion.

[bobdob]

Republicans are cockroaches. Filth.

[grizhead63]

How many naziwarcriminals did the US let in after WWII anyway? We are absolutely being flooded.

[RJII]

They are an infestation to this country's future. It's time to exterminate

[Plowboy]

I wonder if on the basis of such logic as is here employed, we might not conclude that Mr. Whalen's father was sterile* as was his father before him.
Protect us, Lord, from such hereditary traits!

* mentally, morally, spiritually, of course. Such as we would never conceive of physically involved conversation.

[ohioan73]

If a woman doesn't want to have a baby badly enough, she will resort to extreme and dangerous measures to abort her child. Its been happening all through history.

I'm sure women don't marry the fathers of babies they don't want so easily as that. What was Barack's mom's stance on abortion rights? How can anyone speculate that she would be pro-choice anyway? Because she fell in love with an African guy and married him, does that make her automatically pro-choice?

[grizhead63]

I think you drilled deep enough to uncover the underpinnings for this racistsmear.

[syryn22]

What a thing to assume! I cannot believe this guy! I discovered I was pregnant at seventeen and I decided not to abort my baby. Fast forward ten years later and I am so in love and in awe of my ten year old son that I cannot imagine my life without him. Abortion was legal and available for me, but I chose to keep my child. I am a homeowner, I provide for my family and I have no regrets. I will always believe in a woman's right to choose. I got to choose and I decided that yes, it will be a tougher road, but sometimes we have to go through things that makes us stronger. And having my baby made me stronger.

[mydogshakespeare]

Thanks for your thoughtful analysis Mr. Whalen. Your persuasive logic just convinced me I should vote for McCain!

NOT!

[SaddieMcCall]

Believing this type of logic, that if there was a choice, then Obama's mother would have chosen abortion is about as stupid as the people who believe giving gay people the right to marriage will threaten the straight people's marriages--as if now straight spouses everywhere will reconsider their options, or preventing gay unions would force people to become straight.

Does anyone really believe that people who are determine to have abortion, will not have one if it was not legal?