Day 4: argument from John Cavanaugh-O’Keefe
Immigration and abortion are very similar questions. It is hard, perhaps impossible, to argue against welcoming immigrants without justifying abortion. Welcoming strangers is similar to welcoming babies.
Mr. Parrott, the argument I make today begins with an assumption that may be wrong. I know what you have said about marriage, and I know you are serious about your faith – so I assume that you are pro-life. If I’m wrong about that, you should score today as a solid Parrott victory – without lifting a finger!
On Day 2, I argued that you have few arguments (or none) against welcoming immigrants that would not apply to Irish immigrants after the Famine. Today, I argue that you have few arguments against welcoming immigrants that are not pro-abortion arguments.
First, there’s the standard rhetoric. Some immigrants are “illegal.” Some babies in China are “illegal.” Immigrants might be undocumented. Unborn babies are un-named. Some immigrants are unwanted, unwelcome. Ditto babies. Your allies complain bitterly that immigrants are dirty, smelly, lazy. I dispute that vigorously – but note that babies never wipe themselves, produce foul-smelling puke and pee and poo on a daily basis, and don’t start to pay their own way for about 18 years (maybe 14, maybe 30 – but years). Your allies complain that they are parasites. Which are parasites, I wonder? In general, the language that is used to dehumanize immigrants and justify inhospitality is the same language that is used to dehumanize babies and justify abortion.
Second, there’s the Biblical mandate. For many people, the Bible is irrelevant, but not for you or me. Scripture demands: “Choose life that you and your children may live.” Scripture also demands, “Welcome strangers. Remember that you too once were strangers in a strange land.” If you ignore half of that, can your neighbors ignore the other half? Does Scripture have authority: yes or no?
Third, there’s the issue of cost. An unplanned pregnancy is often experienced as a personal earthquake, threatening to change life in a long list of ways, re-arranging a woman’s life on every single level of human experience. In the midst of the earthquake, money isn’t the only hassle, but it’s a major hassle. Giving birth and raising a baby costs half a million dollars, give or take a decimal point. Abortion costs a couple of hundred dollars. I would argue that every mouth comes with two hands (quoting a butcher, but it’s a good insight). I would argue that babies are a good investment – are the best investment possible, on almost every level of human experience. Shifting to immigration, do you realize what you sound like when you urge Maryland voters to dig in and refuse to pay for education for children of undocumented immigrants? A child of God wants an education, and you want the problem to go away – and you have demanded a state-wide referendum on whether to give the student in-state tuition rates?
The Bible demands, “Welcome unexpected arrivals.” Your response: “Too expensive.”
