I've just had an epiphany, I think, which is perhaps the opposite of a stroke.  What I mean by that is that a stroke, if it doesn't kill you outright, will cloud your thinking and impede your ability to communicate, whereas an epiphany brings a sudden, jarring, and often unpleasant burst of clarity which you then feel compelled (at least in my case) to express to others, much to your own chagrin and your audiences amusement or dismay, as the case may be. 

During last year's Democratic primary, President (then Senator) Barack Obama was confronted on his "pro-choice" position on abortion.  His response at the time irked me, but of course I am rather used to that when listening to pro-abortion politicians.  For some reason, however, his response stuck with me more than most, like an annoying fire ant bite that just won't heal.  As I kept worrying and fretting at the remark, it eventually occurred to me why his remark was so startling, and what we can glean about the abortion rights movement from President Obama's statement. 

The now infamous quote, is, as follows: 

"Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old," he said. "I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information."

Now let's break this down.  The reigning canard about abortion rights (from those who support them, of course) is that it's all about rape, incest, or the life of the mother.  Notice that our new President dispenses with this argument altogether.  Now it's about "making a mistake" and not being "punished with a baby."  Well, those of us from the South at least, know what "making a mistake" refers to: having sex outside of marriage, and in the modern usage, becoming pregnant.  No rape, no incest, no life threatening medical condition, just a sixteen year old girl who lets her boyfriend go too far and winds up pregnant.  So at least we have some clarity now, and an admission that the real issue is abortion as a form of birth control. 

Additionally, it's revealing the view President Obama takes towards an unexpected pregnancy, namely that a baby is a punishment.  The traditional view, now antiquated by our new enlightenment, viewed children as a blessing and a baby as a joy.  Even an unwed mother who was unable or unwilling to keep her child could place that child in a home through any number of adoption services, knowing the child would be loved and cherished.  President Obama's view, however, is that any unexpected child is "punishment", and punishment must be avoided, even if it requires snuffing out the life of an unborn child.  Once again, the traditional view would have held that compounding one immoral act with another simply deepened the sin; but now that we are free from such concerns we can simply dispose of the unwanted child and move on, presumably making sure to take the birth control pills on time in the future.

Even more revealing is the parallelism that President Obama uses in this response, when he states "I don't want them punished with a baby.  I don't want them punished with an STD..."  In the past (the recent past, because I'm really not that old), even those who defended abortion acknowledged it to be a "necessary evil", but now it's the equivalent of penicillin.  How so?  Because now the unborn child, recognized by President Obama as a baby in this response, is the equivalent of an STD; and of course each requires immediate medical treatment.

Honestly, it boggles the mind that a man who has the audacity to publicly equate a baby with syphilis has just been elected president of this nation.  But at least he has brought a previously absent clarity to the debate over abortion.  It's not about rape or the mother's life; it's about getting rid of babies who are no better than syphilis.  God help us.