1973, Then and Now

Opinion piece in the Times this week about ending the abortion wars.

It's an opinion piece, of course, so it naturally supports the points its trying to make. And for that matter, it's of interest here because it supports the points made here: As the Crisis takes hold, and the Hero generation becomes dominant, fights over moral issues like abortion stop being the most important political question. And nobody is likely to miss them.

When setting up The Grid, 1973 was a very tempting year to consider for the latest Awakening, specifically for Roe v. Wade. It's a line drawn with words, a battle between ideas. memorable, significant, with two sides who are both always absolutely certain that their side was the only right one. That it had a hefty religious and spiritual component is overkill.

And it may, eventually, be incomprehensible as well. Why that case and this cause was the major one of the last 40 years could be as difficult for schoolchildren to understand as Henry's motivations or the goals of the Free Silver movement.