CNN senior political analyst John Avlon wrapped up Wednesday’s New Day with one of his characteristically reality-free reality checks where he proclaimed that being pro-life is anti-freedom, anti-individualism, and just another way to push religion. Avlon tried to justify this partisan diatribe by citing conservative icon Barry Goldwater.
Avlon claimed that abortion is a losing issue for Republicans, “this could be a practical and political problem for Republicans who desperately want to turn the conversation to crime or inflation, anything but personal freedom.”
“Personal freedom” to do what, John?
Trying to back up his claim, Avlon continued, “Because the patch work of red state restrictions has even Karl Rove warning that the six-week ban in Texas is too extreme. While in Ohio, newly filed affidavits shows more cases of pregnant minors who are raped denied abortions in the state. While in Arizona, a teen girl was denied a refill of a life-saving medication because it could also be use induce an abortion.”
What Karl Rove says is not automatically true, but even more outrageous is the Arizona case Avlon cited. The teenager in question was denied her medication because Walgreens refused to prescribe the juvenile idiopathic arthritis treatment, MTX, because they thought that state’s definition of abortion included ending ectopic pregnancies, which it does not. The teen eventually received her prescription.
Instead of saying that this is what happens when pharmacies don’t read state laws or when “reality checkers” live in Fantasy Land, Avlon claimed, “This is what happens when ideology overtakes individualism, when absolutism overwhelms freedom of choice or freedom of conscience.”
Earlier in the segment, Avlon noted that Goldwater’s wife was a founding member of Planned Parenthood in Arizona and now he returned to Goldwater, “Which brings me back to Barry Goldwater. Now, he was criticized as a conservative extremist, but back in 1981, he was warning against the rise of right-wing groups using the muscle of religion towards political ends. Quote, ‘The uncompromising position of these groups is a divisive element that could tear apart the very spirit of our representative system if they gain sufficient strength.’”
Goldwater did a lot of good things for conservativism, but that does not mean that he was right about all things or that conservatism equals libertarianism.
Avlon wrapped up by declaring pro-lifers are trying to force their convictions onto others, “Goldwater warned as he vowed to fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism. That was a long time ago. And that's your reality check.”
Moral convictions like murder is wrong.
This segment was sponsored by Google.
Here is a transcript for the October 5 show:
CNN New Day with John Berman and Brianna Keilar
10/5/2022
8:59 AM ET
JOHN AVLON: Yeah, and this could be a practical and political problem for Republicans who desperately want to turn the conversation to crime or inflation, anything but personal freedom. Because the patch work of red state restrictions has even Karl Rove warning that the six-week ban in Texas is too extreme. While in Ohio, newly filed affidavits shows more cases of pregnant minors who are raped denied abortions in the state.
While in Arizona, a teen girl was denied a refill of a life-saving medication because it could also be use induce an abortion. This is what happens when ideology overtakes individualism, when absolutism overwhelms freedom of choice or freedom of conscience. Which brings me back to Barry Goldwater. Now, he was criticized as a conservative extremist, but back in 1981, he was warning against the rise of right-wing groups using the muscle of religion towards political ends. Quote, "The uncompromising position of these groups is a divisive element that could tear apart the very spirit of our representative system if they gain sufficient strength,” Goldwater warned as he vowed to fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism. That was a long time ago. And that's your reality check.
