"The Flagrant Sexual Hypocrisy of Conservative Men"

The New York Times op-ed entitled “The Flagrant Sexual Hypocrisy of Conservative Men,” commences with an incriminating declaration about the hypocritical nature of pro-life politicians: “There are few, rare exceptions that abortion opponents tend to allow to their hard-line rules: rape, incest, life or health of the mother, and ‘I got my mistress pregnant.’” The author, Jennifer Weiner, a graduate of Princeton University and contributor to The New York Times since 2015, claims conservative politicians are hypocrites, specifically in terms of abortion legislation. Another aspect of the claim is conservative politicians projecting Biblical ideologies and right-wing while sinning, opposing their own alleged values, or committing crimes. The article, overall, is a response to the revelation of pro-life Representative Tim Murphy’s (R-Pennsylvania) attempt to convince his mistress to abort. 

Other evidence presented in the article, include:

• Anti-choice Tennessee Representative Scott DesJarlais’s approval of his ex-wives two abortions and encouragement of his mistress to have an abortion. Currently, DesJarlais is sponsoring a bill, which passed in the House of Representatives, to ban abortions after 20-weeks.

• Senator Larry Craig’s consistent vote against gay marriage, only to be caught soliciting gay sexual encounters in the bathroom of an airport. 

• Senator David Vitter’s proclamation of pro-family values while utilizing prostitutes.

• Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert’s pro-life and Christian values contrasted with multiple accusations of child molestation. 

Weiner’s conclusion is “for…hard-line anti-abortion politicians, it’s not about fetal pain or the sanctity of life. It’s all about control—whether you’re telling a woman she can’t have an abortion or forcing a woman to get one. The audience of the op-ed is women, those concerned with abortion rights and legislation, and primarily those with left-leaning ideologies because it is a criticism of conservative hypocrisy. 

The audacity of anti-choice politicians to support legislation attempting to limit abortion access is absolutely contemptible. These men are deciding the fate of women’s reproductive rights, spitting in the face of human rights. The anti-abortion legislation, and the illegalization of abortion has severe and sometimes detrimental effects on women and society as a whole, as evidenced by Nicolae Ceausescu’s communist Romania and Ireland’s continued denial of abortion rights to women in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.