Kathleen Parker Demonstrates Her Lack of Shame

Today's Newport Daily News has its weekly column by Washington Post conservative columnist Kathleen "K-Pax" Parker. Today K-Pax chooses to highlight Red China's repressive policy of forcing women to have abortions. K-Pax is very careful to point out that "On this much, both sides of the abortion issue can agree: Forced abortion is not a choice." She is even more careful to avoid stating the obvious corollary: Forced pregnancy is not a choice, either, but she and her fellow conservatives support it.

Is K-Pax honestly concerned about women in China? If she were, she could have simply stated the facts and voiced her opinion. Instead, she goes out of her way to sneer at Planned Parenthood and NARAL for not being as concerned as she is. That's why she wrote this column; not to draw attention to an injustice, but to use that injustice to score political points against liberals. It's cheap political grandstanding cloaked in sanctimony. K-Pax ought to be ashamed, but of course, being a conservative, she's not.