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We Need to Talk About the Polarization Around Abortion
It’s time to start asking the big questions
When addressing the need to abolish slavery, Abraham Lincoln said that a house divided against itself cannot stand; America must become all one thing, or all the other.
Fortunately, slavery was abolished in the 19th century. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, America is again becoming a house divided against itself.
It’s not just about Roe vs Wade (or its recent overturn) — although Roe may be a useful window into the rapidly expanding polarization of our public life.
When we think about what has held America together for so many years, we can look at two key areas that America has been able to unite around:
A Sense of National Pride and Belief in Our Founding Principles
For a long time, patriotism ran deep in America’s DNA.
No one has ever believed that America is a perfect nation, but that has never stopped its citizens from being proud to be American.
For a long time, many people thought that America’s sins (like slavery) should be viewed in light of it’s triumphs. The argument for this had two parts. First, America’s sins (like slavery) have all been…
