UNTITLED ON PURPOSE

A while back I watched the old animated version of Horton Hears a Who with Laurel. I remember being particularly moved by the story and Laurel even cried a little. The Whos' struggle to be heard and Horton's efforts to save them from a doom brought on by their obscurity really highlighted a myriad of social injustices. Homosexual civil rights, class warfare, healthcare tragedies, etc. are often ignored by the good while the evil people of the world tramp all over them. We should all strive to "hear a Who."
Not long after watching it, though, I began to think that it could have been intended as an anti-abortion story especially with the oft-repeated line "A person is a person, no matter how small." I began to wonder if one of the beloved Dr. Seuss classics was actually just a pro-life whining session. The book was written in 1954 but the "abortion debate" is a lot older than some of us realize.
No worries though, a little internet research cleared that shit right up. It seems that Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was inspired by the mistreatment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII and the post WWII US occupation of Japan. He even dedicated the book to a Japanese friend of his. Given the original sentiments of the story I'm sure he intended to highlight the abuse and exploitation of all the world's downtrodden minorities.
Of course, I wasn't the only one to notice the apparent apt-ness of this story in relation to the abortion debate and pro-lifers everywhere have taken up the mantra "A person is a person, no matter how small." to support their case. Even though I had settled the question of the original intention I still wondered how Seuss would react to this usage of his work. Alas, the internet has come to rescue once again. Philip Nel is a Seuss biographer and according to him Seuss threatened pro-life groups with a lawsuit for using his words on their stationery. Audrey Geisel, Seuss' widow, even said that the good doctor did not approve of these groups using his words to support their point of view.


Well there, it's ok with Dr. Seuss if you kill your fetus.