Photo by Aubrey Odom on Unsplash
Friday, October 16, 2020, a video spread like wildfire across social media in Utah and beyond. In this video, Frank Fox, member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and co-founder of BYU’s American Heritage Program, explains why he will be voting for Joe Biden despite his personal pro-life views.
Here at Pro-Life Utah, we are concerned with the popularity of the video among those in the state and wish to offer a counterargument.
Fox’s claim: “As a historian, I wager the next president’s position on abortion won’t make a significant difference for the pro-life cause.”
He presents two main reasons, both of which we dissect below:
- The number of abortions and number of abortions per live births both decreased from 2011 and 2017, most of which time was during Obama’s presidency.
- The Supreme Court, and not the presidency, is where the pro-life battle really matters.
1) Number of Abortions
“Did you know that the total number of abortions, and # of abortions per live births, both decreased from 2011 and 2017, which is mostly Obama’s time in office? These numbers don’t track with party majority in the ways we like to think.”
This is true, as explained by the abortion industry’s own Guttmacher Institute. 1 However, they themselves admit the reason for this decrease is not clear.
My husband is a data scientist, with a degree in Math and Statistics. One of the biggest rules of statistics is the mantra: correlation does not mean causation. Ice cream sales don’t cause crime, even if they both go up in the summer. 2
The reason why abortion rates have decreased is indisputably unclear and complex. Any number of variables may have impacted this—for instance, an increase in efforts from pro-life organizations like this one, potentially.
I believe Fox understands that correlation does not mean causation, and meant to say that Obama had no effect on abortion rates. However, to the viewer, I worry that this is unclear and that someone could understand this to mean that Obama actually caused (or contributed to) a decrease in abortion rates. This is why I mention this.
I would also argue that the president does have an important impact on abortion that should not be overlooked. Some examples are:
Veto power: The president can stop legislation from passing by veto. This goes for legislation that would restrict access to abortion, and laws that would force taxpayers to pay for even more abortions.
Executive orders: The president can make executive orders to enforce existing laws, as Trump has done by enforcing the Hyde Amendment and pulling money away from organizations like Planned Parenthood. 3
Cultural influence: The president of the United States has and always will have an influence on their political party’s and the country’s culture, for better or worse. Would you prefer a president that encourages a culture that protects the unborn? Or encourages more abortion?
Vice president: Don’t forget that the president’s VP pick has influence as well, such as voting on ties in the Senate.
Of course, POTUS does not (and should not) wield all power to end abortion, force abortion, or do anything else. However, it is wrong to downplay the power that they do hold, or to overlook the ability they have to increase or decrease abortions.
Let us now discuss his second claim:
2) The Supreme Court Is What Matters
“Think of the Supreme Court, which is where the rubber meets the road, if, as appears likely, Justice Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court, the court will have a confirmed conservative majority. Sure, the left packing of the court, the very unusual ploy that failed spectacularly when President Roosevelt tried it. It is unlikely the next president will have much impact on the court’s balance.”
When Fox says the Supreme Court makes the big difference, he is of course discussing the possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that concludes that women have a right to abortion as part of the 14th Amendment’s “right to privacy.” If it were to be overturned, abortion would no longer be protected as a federal right and could be outlawed or permitted based on individual state laws.
There are a few things wrong with Fox’s statement regarding this:
Overturning Roe v. Wade is not the only thing that could outlaw abortion. While it would be a step-up from our current abortion legislation, some pro-lifers even discourage pursuing overturning Roe v. Wade out of concern that it would just segregate states and increase abortion supply and demand in many states.
Outlawing abortion is not the first or only step in protecting the life of the unborn. We must also promote a culture that values life in the womb. We must ask ourselves: What are the policies and track records of both candidates on abortion? Have they fought for the life of the unborn? Will they continue to do so? Then, we must compare the facts.
Fox fails to mention how Supreme Court seats are filled: they are nominated by the current president, then confirmed by the Senate. The president does have an impact on the Supreme Court for years to come. We may not be currently anticipating a vacancy in the very near future, but we cannot predict the future, especially not four or eight years down the line.
Perhaps the biggest issue with Fox’s statement is that court packing is a real concern for many Biden skeptics, and rightly so. Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly refused to deny plans to pack the court. 4 5 This lack of transparency on the subject raises valid concern for many pro-lifers who are concerned with both Biden and Harris’ track records. (Court packing is not the same as filling an open seat; court packing is to create additional, new seats on the Supreme Court and immediately fill your own picks, particularly with the purpose of turning the vote in one’s own favor.)
A Call to People of All Faiths (and No Faith)
We at Pro-Life Utah know you don’t have to be a single-issue voter, nor do we endorse any candidate or party in particular. However, we do encourage you to understand the issues at hand.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I personally disapprove of people using their status in the Church to endorse their political views, on both sides. I trust all people of faith to allow their religious foundations to influence how they vote, and I encourage everyone to combine fact-digging, good judgment, and honest prayer to vote for the best choice for their future and their children’s future.
Pro-Life Utah was founded upon the idea that people from different faiths and backgrounds can work together to secure and defend the fundamental right to life for society's most vulnerable members, unborn babies. Additionally, we work to provide women with the resources necessary to choose life or to provide healing and support for those emotionally wounded by abortion.
Please consider making a donation so we can keep writing pieces like these, and so we can continue to arm women with knowledge and resources to choose life.
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