Gorsuch, Legal Abortion, and ‘Access’

The Left’s great fear is that if conservatives get their way in the courts, women will lose their right to reproductive freedom.

But, as usual, the Left has no clue what rights are. Here is an excerpt from a U.S. News article titled Gorsuch Is Not an Abortion Crusader, AP Review Finds:

The review of Gorsuch's record reveals he has taken positions against assisted suicide and in favor of "religious exemption" laws that allow employers who object to escape paying for contraception — issues that both sides of the abortion debate have seized on to parse his judicial history. 

Abortion rights groups immediately criticized the nomination, saying Gorsuch represents a threat to women's reproductive rights and to the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide in 1973. 

"With a clear track record of supporting an agenda that undermines abortion access and endangers women, there is no doubt that Gorsuch is a direct threat to Roe v. Wade and the promise it holds for women's equality," NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue said in a statement.

There is a huge difference between a right to have an abortion or buy birth control, and a “right” to access those services by forcing others to unwillingly pay for the services. Reproductive freedom advocates would have a much stronger argument if they recognized the right of employers not to provide abortion or contraceptive coverage as part of their health insurance plan because of moral objections. Refusing to pay for a woman’s abortion does not violate the woman’s right to an abortion. The same goes for contraception. In both cases, the woman employee is still free to access the services at her own expense.

You can’t guarantee an individual right by violating other rights. ObamaCare’s contraception mandate (along with all other health insurance mandates) attempt to do just that. That is why the issue is so politically contentious. We must learn that a right guarantees the freedom to pursue, not a guarantee of access at others’ expense.

Related Reading:

On ‘Access’ to Pre-K Education

Rights vs. Privileges

Constitutional Distortions: Free Speech vs. Freedom of Speech

Defending Reproductive Rights Depends Upon Upholding All Rights

Right to Abortion vs. the "Right" to Abortion Service