ABSTRACT
An old friend of mine, very prominent in his field, was the subject of some scandal here in Manhattan. At an otherwise fashionable dinner party, he ventured two objectionable opinions: (1) that there are too many abortions in America, and (2) that abortion is a serious moral issue that is too often treated in a frivolous way. As it happens, my friend is prochoice, but this was not enough to save him from his reputation-wrecking gaffe. Tongues wagged and gossip flew along phone lines. His own wife didn’t speak to him for three days.
