Justin Bieber Takes A Decidedly Unprogressive Stance on Abortion
Jessica Wakeman at The Frisky has been reading Rolling Stone, and isn’t pleased with 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber’s take on abortion:
Justin Bieber: I really don’t believe in abortion. It’s, like, killing a baby?
Rolling Stone: How about in cases of rape?)
JB: Um. Well, I think that’s really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I guess I haven’t been in that position, so I wouldn’t be able to judge that.
Wakeman writes, “Oof. 'Everything happens for a reason'? Really? I may not care about your opinions on abortion, but the world’s population of 11-year-old girls sure does.”
She has a point. While Bieber is a fascinating figure, his opinion on legal medical procedures in the U.S. is fairly irrelevant. It’s entirely likely that his position will change, particularly as he gains some life experience and realizes that whether or not he “believes” in abortion, it’s a difficult choice that women are legally entitled to. He'll certainly come to find that many of his fans, including some of us here at Campus Progress, are pro-choice.
But still, it’s not a surprise—as anti-choicers continue to try and erode women’s rights with bills that limit access to abortion or push the anti-science notion of “fetal personhood”—young people are becoming less pro-choice, even as older generations become more so.
Oddly enough, Canada, Bieber’s home country, is one of the only nations with no legal restriction on abortion, meaning that its government health care for women is complete and comprehensive. And it seems, to some extent, that he understands the value of Canada’s health care system, since he says, “We go to the doctor and we don’t need to worry about paying him, but here [in the U.S.], your whole life, you’re broke because of medical bills.”
Perhaps one day, Bieber will come to understand that abortion is a critical part of comprehensive health care.
Shani is the associate editor of CampusProgress.org. You can reach her at shilton@americanprogress.org.
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