Leftists are often wont to accuse those on the right whenever they can make an analogy-- however tenuous-- that underscores an apparent contradiction in conservative philosophy.
These accusations almost always rest on superficial observations.
Take for instance the notion that Sarah Palin was hypocritical in having considered abortion, yet continues to fight for the rights of unborn children.
She exercised choice! But she's against choice! rages the feminists.
Let's examine this in-depth.
The ability to choose does not rest on any political or legal situation. You can choose to perform actions that are illegal. You can choose to perform actions that you know are immoral.
But is that the choice that feminists are really talking about when they say they are "pro-choice"?
Are they pushing for the ability for women to contemplate an abortion?
No.
When feminists talk about "choice" they mean legal abortion. Sarah Palin did not show hypocrisy in refusing an abortion. She rejected the very thing that feminists are fighting for.
Therefore, there was no hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is not about contradiction. If you go against your principles, that's not necessarily hypocrisy. Everyone, from the first to the last, at some point in their lives, forego their principles.
That's another way of saying that everyone sins.
You can behave against your principles and still hold them to be true. That's how a functioning conscience works. It holds up your behaviour to the light of your beliefs and judges their rightness or wrongness.
Sarah Palin refused to give into temptation, which wasn't very strong in the first place if it only lasted a "fleeting moment." I'm sure most people have had a moment when they've had a fleeting thought of performing a gravely immoral action. If you were a hypocrite for contradicting your principles, you couldn't have any, because no one follows their beliefs one hundred per cent of the time.
If Sarah Palin had had the abortion-- there might be a stronger case for hypocrisy.
Sarah Palin doesn't oppose "choice" in the sense of a thought process.
Sarah Palin opposes abortion, period.
But seeing that the left is always anxious to tar people with insincerity and smear them for opposing left-wing beliefs, they're always looking for superficial contradictions to on which to base their unfounded accusations.
Everything is hypocrisy to the left. Which is really too bad, because the more you baselessly accuse people of hypocrisy, the more you dilute the true meaning of the word.
I want to add to this point, because I think the lefties didn't understand.
What have Sarah Palin and pro-lifers been saying: DO NOT choose abortion.
What was Sarah Palin's decision: Not to choose abortion.
Where's the hypocrisy?
See, the left frames it in terms of choice. Sarah Palin did not live up to THEIR standards, which is to exercise choice.
Pro-lifers are not against choice per se. They're against ONE choice: abortion.
That's the choice she rejected.
