Stick This! #1

I am fascinated by bumper stickers. I will often drive too close to another person’s car just so that I can read the damn thing. I like all kinds: left-wing, right-wing, and otherwise. I think I like them because bumper stickers really aren’t that different from political cartoons: you have to try to say something deep, pithy, meaningful, and motivational in a very concise space. And like most cartoons, they usually fail—especially the left wing ones, because it’s almost impossible to distill complex, highly-nuanced issues down to a few words or images. Right wingers (usually, though not exclusively) have it easier because they (usually, though not exclusively) see the world in more black and white terms. That should make for better stickers, except that right wingers (usually, though not exclusively) have no sense of humor.

I’m often critiquing the bumper stickers I see. Sometimes, this means yelling. Sometimes it means coming up with a response. In that vein, let’s start a “dialogue” via that crude, yet compelling medium of the tacky paper.

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The sticker:

My response:

Now I don’t claim for a second that the abortion issue is a simple one. If my own beliefs had to be condensed to a sticker, it would be something along the lines of

Keep it legal, safe, and rare. And back it up with adequate sex education, effective contraception, universal health care, and female economic independence so that when it comes time to make the choice, it’s, you know, a real choice.

See? It don’t fit so well.

But let’s face it, if a beating heart is your criterion, then we should be seeing a whole lot more vegetarian pro-lifers. Their counter-response, no doubt, would be something along the lines of animals not having souls. But in that case, the heart is irrelevant.

(Plus, the pun on steak / stake is priceless.)

In any case, brain activity is a much better indicator for (beginning and end of) life. And given that 88% of abortions occur in the first trimester (although the law allows up to the 2nd trimester—even if limited access doesn’t), brain activity is minimal to non-existent when most abortions occur.

Updated: Thanks to Paul for additional information.