Is California Prop 85 "anti-abortion?"

Here we go again. Tonight at my paper we nearly ran a reference in an Associated Press story that called California's Proposition 85 "anti-abortion." Consequently, the young copy editor putting that page together, in lock-step with habit probably, borrowed from that in writing the headline, which referred to the measure as same. The story is about the San Diego Catholic publisher who bankrolled the meaure onto the statewide ballot.

One can read the intentions of the AP writer or her editor either way. The term "anti-abortion" would appeal to voters who oppose abortion, who would vote for Prop 85 on that basis, or appeal to voters who favor abortion rights, who would vote against Prop 85 consequently. The cynical editor that I am believes the intent was the latter.

The conscientious editor that I also am pointed out the heart of the issue: It's not accurate. One could interpret the intent of Prop 85 as being anti-abortion, which is fine. But as a pro-choice parent who nonetheless dislikes abortion, and who is voting, that's not what I see. I favor abortion rights as a libertarian, but favor strongly as well my rights as a parent to decide how I raise my children.

It's a parent's rights issue, not an abortion rights issue. What's lost in the MSM coverage of this is that minors do not have all the absolute rights that adults do. Those abortion rights are for adults. But that's not how the MSM has framed the issue.

A subhead on the story referred to the San Diego publisher as "conservative," which I didn't have as much of a problem with because it's true. And again, reader decides if that's good or bad.

Or am I reading too much into this because of my cynicism?