“Perhaps the ultimate argument for the belief in God is history’s lesson that we have no reason to expect mercy from men.” [Darleen Click]

It isn’t just that #PlannedParenthood and NAF are desperately trying to suppress the CMP videos from publication, but that in any discussion with pro-aborts devolves into an exercise of dealing with people who willfully avoid any discussion of what is happening on those tapes. The obfuscation, distraction, ad hominem — every tool of the school of yelling “SQUIRREL” is brought in.

This is, indeed, “willful ignorance” …

One of the most common reactions to the Planned Parenthood body parts scandal is along the lines of “I can’t bear to watch the videos of those horrible people laughing and talking about the sale of babies. It’s just too upsetting to see”. This exactly captures the reason why the videos are so dangerous: they have forced society at large to watch what many must have always suspected was true, but hoped never to confront directly.

The Center of Medical Progress has over 300 hours of undercover video which has been turned over to investigators. It looks like society is going to have to watch, whether it wants to or not.

Willful ignorance “is a term used in law to describe a situation in which a Person seeks to avoid civil or criminal liability for a wrongful act by intentionally putting him or herself in a position where he or she will be unaware of facts that would render him or her liable.” Apart from its legal utility it has a lot of psychological usefulness because it allows society to put certain things where they don’t have to deal with it. […]

Now that the cat is out of the bag the objections to looking the issue straight in the face, without eupemism, must vanish. Even those who, like Geraldo Rivera, argue that the end justifies the means can have no further reason for refusing to tell us “what end in exchange for these means?”. And in that matter, handwaving will not suffice. If Geraldo’s so proud of “medical research”, surely our admiration for it can only grow after all 300 hours of undercover video have been broadcast.

In our modern, post-religious age society needs to know what ethical taboos, if any, remain. What won’t we do? Now that we have resolved to live without God and must perforce live under men that is all the more reason to know what those men believe. Sigmund Freud believed that the secular motives of “educated people and brain-workers” would be a reliable substitute for what was formerly regarded as natural law. Can these educated people spare a moment then to explain what their secular motives are? Besides money that is. […]

The trouble with 19th century atheism is that it had not completely freed itself from the sentiments of Christianity: in many subtle ways they assumed that man after God would still have limits. They failed to understand until the middle 20th century that man’s need for power did not necessarily contain limits. They learned, too late, that like the Bill of Rights understands, it is in the “won’ts” on men’s actions that earthly freedom lives.

The people who in the videos merrily describe the prices they can obtain for this or that body part may one day be old and as helpless as the infants they have dismembered. Then they will be in the care of men like themselves. And on that far day these young — then old — may want water. On what grounds will they demand it? On what basis will they ask for care, love or compassion?

Note Geraldo’s attempt to dismiss the issue because it is “legal.” (along with his assertion it is all politics that will cause the Republicans to lose).

Yes. Disgusting.