Majority Rules…Except When It Doesn’t
We like to say something is “the will of the people” as a justification for certain action.
For example, those who are against overturning Roe v. Wade tout public opinion polls which purport to show that a majority of Americans want abortion to be legal. Keep in mind that overturning Roe would not make abortion illegal, so it really is apples and oranges, but you get the idea. Their argument is that since a majority of Americans want it, it should be so.
Odd how often those who say we have to bend to “the will of the people” only feel that way when “the people” agree with them.
Witness a new survey from the American Principles Project Foundation.The survey asked respondents whether they would support a ban on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and physical sex-change surgeries for children under 18. 56% of respondents said they would support a ban, while 34% said they would not. In other words, the majority of Americans do not support transgender surgeries or anti-puberty blockers for minors.
What do you want to bet that supporters of such things will see the poll and immediately say, “Well, the people have spoken. We have to follow the will of the people” and give up their efforts? Yeah, I wouldn’t take that bet, either.
We didn’t have public opinion polling in the middle 1800s, but I wonder what the result would be if slavery was the question. Similarly, I’m not sure what the polling showed before Brown v. Board of Education desegregated schools in 1954. Again, you get the idea.
The will of the people shall prevail…unless they’re against my agenda, of course.
