False equivalency, the myth that both sides are the same, the lie that every extreme has an equal and opposite extreme on the opposite political pole. Promoting this myth over and over is one of the great failures of the media today. The Phil Hand cartoon from the Wisconsin State Journal published on May 17 is a perfect example of false equivalency.
It is true that most Americans support a woman’s right to choose in line with Roe v. Wade. There is ample evidence extremists on the right would prefer to ban birth control and all abortions, that is not a debatable point. What is not true however is that there is a balancing extreme on the so-called “far left” that wants more abortions, not fewer. It’s a lie. Opposition to taking away a woman’s right to bodily autonomy and imposing a police state tracking their personal lives is not support for abortion.
