Pett misinterpreted again

For the second time I’m compelled to respond to a woefully simplistic and erroneous criticism of a Joel Pett cartoon. Apparently a reader was convinced that Pett advocated in a cartoon that “children should be aborted so they won’t be abused after they are born. The reader also said in his letter that “using abortion to reduce child abuse is insanity.”

I completely agree. This idea would be insane if anyone actually espoused it. However, despite reading extensively about this heartbreaking issue, I don’t think I’ve ever heard this argument come from anyone other than this particular reader’s fevered imagination. Ironically, this same man somehow managed to stumble inadvertently on Pett’s obvious intent in his missive’s last paragraph.

There he quite rightly opines that more resources be allocated to underprivileged children, and yet seems oblivious to the fact that a surprisingly large proportion of pro-life conservatives are reduced to veritable apoplexy at the suggestion that their precious tax dollars are spent post-partum on the same fetuses they once so gallantly protected.

Perhaps this reader’s time might be better spent in persuading more of his fellow crusaders to open up their wallets rather than on publicly making sadly misinformed critiques of political satire.

This story was originally published June 9, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Pett misinterpreted again."