The many recent attacks on Planned Parenthood have brought the issue of abortion back into the spotlight in a big way this year, and the debate is only going to get fiercer as the 2016 election progresses. No matter how many times the issue surfaces, though, anti-choice rhetoric always relies on the same thing: The idea that abortion is murder. But if abortion is murder, does that mean that women who have them are murderers? It's a difficult question — and it's also what Liz Plank takes on in the first episode of Season 2 of Flip the Script , Mic's engaging video series on social issues.
Flip the Script's first season got over 43 million hits since it's premiere, so I'm excited to see it back for a second season. What's more, you can expect Season 2 to pack an even more powerful punch. "We up our game in Season 2. We're exploring issues such as cultural appropriation, the anti-vaxxer movement, racism in the media and more, along with a lineup of badass interviews with thought leaders like Melinda Gates, Broad City's Arturo Castro, and disability rights advocate Maysoon Zayid," Plank tells Bustle via email. "Expect some eye-opening and script flippin' moments that will change how you think of these important issues."
Take the first episode, for example. Entitled "If abortion is murder, does that make the women who have them murderers?", it tackles a question that seems to come up over and over again in the abortion debate. To see if the logic of "abortion equals murder" holds up, Plank decided to ask pro-lifers at the "Right to Life" convention what their take on this issue is. Whether or not you agree with them, Plank's conversations with them still "gets beyond the rhetoric" in some interesting ways.
Here, take a look at a few examples:
But:
Hmmm. Interesting, no?
This man, too, believes abortion should be legal:
However, he also notes that it's "impractical" to throw all of the people who have had abortions in prison. So, by this stance, does that mean that those who have had abortions are just criminals walking free?
And here's another point:
I'm not sure how much anyone can really generalize about a huge group of people, but if this is, in fact, the viewpoint of the majority, then it would seem to point out yet again a seeming contradiction in the "abortion is murder" argument: Abortion is murder, but those who have them should not be incriminated.
Personally, I am very much pro-choice; as such, I don't believe the "abortion is murder" logic holds up. My own feelings aside, though, it's somewhat refreshing to see the other side of this debate here, since both pro-choice and anti anti-choice advocates are frequently painted as stereotypes that make them seem unreasonable and their viewpoints reprehensible. We're all people, after all — not stereotypes.
To top off the first episode, Plank interviewed politician and overall badass Wendy Davis, who you may remember from her historic 11-hour filibuster in 2013 to stop the passing of an a bill that would shut down all but five abortion clinics in Texas. She herself has had an an abortion; in her sobering interview with Plank, she recounts how it was one of the toughest decisions she's ever had to make (in addition to answering the "is abortion murder?" question, of course).
Watch the full video below to see the Wendy Davis interview and more:
Images: The All-Nite Images/Flickr; Mic/YouTube (4)
