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Regarding c), it's called 'paternalism' because pro-life attitudes, the source of this legislation, have greater support among men than women: http://www.pewfor

by deogeo 8y ago

Regarding c), it's called 'paternalism' because pro-life attitudes, the source of this legislation, have greater support among men than women: http://www.pewforum.org/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/ http://www.pewforum.org/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortio... ...whoops, no, sorry, that data shows 36% of women and 37% of men are pro-life, practically the same. But maybe we could blame blacks and hispanics? Criminalizing abortion has 35% support among whites, 38% among blacks, and 44% among hispanics.

detaro 8y ago
The definition of "paternalism" does not mention gender (see e.g. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paternalism https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paternalism), so the straw man you built doesn't apply
- deogeo 8y ago
  'Paternalism' is associated with men - it contains the latin word for 'father', and means ".. the manner of a father dealing benevolently and often intrusively with his children" according to https://www.dictionary.com/browse/paternalism https://www.dictionary.com/browse/paternalism And in this article, it was deliberately chosen for its association with men - it's clearly the wrong word, even without its connotations of gender. Only laws that are meant to prevent you from harming yourself are paternalistic, not from harming others. E.g. banning high-sugar foods, driving without seat-belts, etc. You wouldn't call laws against assault, murder, or theft 'paternalistic', would you?