boutique

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jul 31, 2005

And while Deborah Solomon is burnishing up the Prosecutor, Ellen Goodman takes a dig at the defendant by patronizing Jane Roberts's involvement in Feminists For Life:

FFL is a boutique antiabortion group dedicated to the proposition that you can be prowoman and prolife.

A boutique anti-abortion group, Miss Goodman? Given the number of self-described "grassroots coalitions" that are markedly free of members but act as pro-abort policy shills (think of Catholics for a Free Choice, PunkVoter, Clergy for Choice, Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom, etc.), it's ironic to attach this label to a group that has real members with real names who do real work -- even in the absence of a news camera -- to ease the hardship of real-life mothers in distress.

Goodman pretends to have thoughtful reservations about Feminists For Life because -- you'll love this -- it is "silent about whether it trusts women as ethical decision-makers." As if a woman's decision to join such an organization could be motivated by anything other than moral seriousness and greater than ordinary professional independence. Ellen my dear, are you under the impression that listing Feminists For Life on a woman's CV puts her on the fast-track for academic tenure or making partner at her law firm? Try it yourself, and we'll watch the subsequent progress of your Boston Globe career with unflagging interest.