Today, at Religion Dispatches, I take a critical look at how the anti-choice movement has labelled Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng as “pro-life.”
Chen, a blind self-taught lawyer, is famous for his fight to stop local officials from carrying out illegal forced abortions. He is a former prisoner of conscience whose story should inspire us all, regardless of stance on abortion. His struggle doesn’t map neatly onto the U.S. abortion debate.
Lindsay Beyerstein is an award-winning investigative journalist and In These Times staff writer who writes the blog Duly Noted. Her stories have appeared in Newsweek, Salon, Slate, The Nation, Ms. Magazine, and other publications. Her photographs have been published in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times’ City Room. She also blogs at The Hillman Blog (http://www.hillmanfoundation.org/hillmanblog), a publication of the Sidney Hillman Foundation, a non-profit that honors journalism in the public interest.
