In a column in today’s Portland Press Herald, M.D. Harmon strains logic past the breaking point.  The piece begins with a criticism of Hilary Clinton’s 1996 book, “It Takes a Village”—always a good warm-up act, even 15 years after publication.  Harmon quotes approvingly from a criticism of the book based on its supposed paternalism and endorsement of “big government”—government is supposedly the village, and the public is the child.
 
I happen to agree that there should be less government involvement in our private lives—who we choose to marry, for instance, or who we speak to on the telephone—so I was curious where Harmon’s libertarian instincts were going to take him.
 
But, after setting up his bona fides as a champion of keeping the government out of our private lives, Harmon goes on to endorse three legislative proposals that insert government into one of the most private decisions a person can make—whether and when to become a parent.  Harmon is absolutely correct that the bills are going to be considered by the legislature next week, but aside from that I find little to agree with of his endorsement of the wisdom of inserting government bureaucrats into a decision that should be made by a woman in consultation with her doctor, her family, and whomever else she turns to for support. 
 
The crux of his argument can be found in his criticism of opponents of these bills (a group that includes the ACLU of MAINE)—he accuses us of wanting to “keep women in ignorance.”
 
Actually, we believe that women are not ignorant.  There is absolutely no justification for thinking that women and their doctors do not already have all the information they need to make important medical decisions.  And, there is no justification for thinking that the legislature is a good and valuable source of medical information that has so far been unavailable.
 
Harmon has the absolute right to believe that there is too much government involvement in people’s private decisions.  He has the absolute right as well to believe that women should not be allowed to decide whether and when to become parents.  He will have a hard time reconciling the two, however, and today’s column is an excellent example of why.
 
As for me, I’ll be at the statehouse next week, working to prevent the legislature from coming between a woman and her doctor. Interested in coming? Make sure to wear pink, and email us at info@aclumaine.org for more info.  I hope I’ll see you there.