Anti-Pro-Life Censorship or Callous Extremist? 4 Views on The Atlantic Firing Kevin Williamson
Kirsten Powers
Kirsten Powers, author of The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech, wrote a column for USA Today published last Friday arguing that the Atlantic was justified in firing Williamson because "no publication is obligated to hire people who express views that violate their ethos."
"The Atlantic is a center-left publication, yet it hired Williamson knowing he was an articulate conservative who opposes abortion rights. What The Atlantic didn't know was the callousness and inhumanity with which Williamson discusses women who've had an abortion," wrote Powers.
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"To suggest, as many have, that he was fired for being 'pro-life' is ridiculous. He was fired for being unable to have a reasoned, civil debate about abortion that doesn't involve fantasizing not just about the government killing women who get abortions, but about how they kill them."
Powers pointed out that Williamson's comment on punishing women who have had abortions is "not even mainstream among conservative anti-abortion rights organizations."
"When candidate Donald Trump said in an interview that he thought women should be punished for abortions, the rebukes [from pro-life groups] were swift and mighty," added Powers.
"Trump was forced to reverse his position to say that should abortion be outlawed, the only person who would be held accountable would be the doctor, not the woman. Even Trump didn't gleefully muse about hanging people."
