On Abortion, Absolutists Will Always Lose

Abortion has been a campaign issue for decades. Rape is a more recent, and more troubling, point of political discussion. But understanding the connection between the two is essential to evaluating the controversies percolating in Senate races in Missouri and Indiana and what they entail for national politics.

In a debate last week against his Democratic opponent, Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock of Indiana said that “even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” Mourdock opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest, which is a logical position to hold if you believe a fertilized egg is fully human. In that case, there can be no distinction between abortion and murder.