In Washington, the corruption of the cause of goodness continues, too
Today the Right-to-Life Movement apparently ceased to be a big tent and for the first time, the March for Life on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade has turned partisan. Donald Trump is speaking to the marchers amid cheers and cries of "Four More Years!" Jonathan Last of The Bulwark this morning made the case that those who support the cause of life will come to rue this day.
One does not build a consensus by narrowing your base, and one does not build a majority by identifying your cause with a divisive and unpopular figure. Allowing Mr. Trump to harden soft support for abortion by making him the face of the pro-life movement only weakens the cause.
We live in a world gone mad, in which everybody seems to think that the way to win a consequential national debate is to alienate as many people as possible. And when it happens to movements and ideas one cares about, and one can see what is happening this clearly, it's hard to take. Our crude and ignorant bully of a president has not only corrupted conservative Protestantism but he seems also somehow to have managed to corrupt the impulse to defend the sanctity of human life.
The Gospel and the cause of life and human decency deserve both deserve better. Donald Trump is not a fit emblem for either. It is nothing less than obscene that either should be exploited by this demagogic champion of the darkest impulses of the human soul.
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