Now it’s the “civility” of pro-life advocates that is acting as a trigger for radical abortion promoters who cannot tolerate even the idea of a debate on the issue.
It is constitutional expert Jonathan Turley who found an incident at Yale highlighting leftists’ new advocacy for totalitarian speech limits.
“This tirade at Yale against free speech captures many of these elements from the attack on civility to the view of opposing speech as harmful. Given the increasingly anti-free speech culture in our elementary through high schools, it is not surprising to see this rising generation of censors. These students have been constantly told that free speech is harmful and that they should not have to be harmed by the exposure to opposing views,” he said.
He cited an “editorial” by Hyerim Bianca Nam in the Yale Daily News, and its “chilling” statements about free speech.
Nam’s commentary “is striking in its rejection of the core values of free speech and its expression of anger over the civility and logical arguments of pro-life students,” Turley explained.
“Nam unloads on fellow students who set up a table to discuss abortion issues. She describes the students as ‘inviting passersby to engage in logical debates about fetal personhood and abortion ethics.’ She notes with frustration that ‘they were polite’ and ‘they held their voices low and spoke slowly and calmly. They had relaxed, open smiles.’ Nam takes offense not just to their civility and politeness but also to the fact that they were allowed to speak at all on campus,” Turley explained.
Nam, in fact, charged, “Their smug civility was infuriating; their invitations for debate, inflammatory. I could barely seethe out my opinion about the misogyny of holding such a debate at all…”
Nam was for absolute censorship of views other than her own.
“The discussion never should have been entertained, because simply opening space for this ‘logical, respectful’ debate itself is a threat to human rights that should never be up for debate… Some arguments aren’t worth engaging with, and quite frankly are dangerous for even existing.”
Turley concluded, “The editorial perfectly captures the rising intolerance and orthodoxy on our campuses. Nam insists that even allowing such debates is ‘an insult to our personhood, experience and rights.’”
He noted other attacks from leftists on “civility,” at Berkeley, Dartmouth, Wellesley – where editors of a student publication threatened “violence may be warranted.”
“Even reporters at National Public Radio (NPR) have denounced civility as a ‘weapon wielded by the powerful.’ Hillary Clinton has called for the end of civility toward any Republicans,” he explained.
This article was originally published by the WND News Center.
This post originally appeared on WND News Center.