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Or how about a petition signed by women who had undergone an abortion explaining what steps the rest of us could take to best discourage other women from undergoing the procedure? "We were wrong and don't want others to make the same mistake" could be the message. They could tell us what steps might have deterred them, and how to help reach women similarly situated today.

But Ms. magazine's signers seem to have no regrets. "We terminated a life, and we are proud that we did so," is the apparent message: "Don't hold us accountable for our actions, however inappropriate they might have been."

Some 45 million babies have been aborted since Roe v. Wade created a largely unconstrained right to an abortion. That's hideous number. And one that should fill all of us, whether we've had an abortion or not, with regret.

Again, forget for a moment the political question whether abortion should be prohibited. Certainly it should be lamented. And discouraged. Honest liberals could agree on that.

But not Ms. magazine.

Although the legal fight remains important, the main battlefield for abortion these days is moral suasion. Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, many states would likely keep the procedure legal. Which means people will have to be persuaded not to exercise their legal right. People will have to be convinced of what Ms. magazine does not understand: every abortion is a tragic outcome of a wrong decision.

topics:
Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Abortion, Environment, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court