I think “most rabbonim” quoted here refers to shul rabbis and communally involved modern Orthodox or black hat wearing religious zionists, to be honest.
Time for truth – well said. Modern orthodoxy is a mirror, usually, of liberal but centrist goyim. At the time, most liberal goyim were opposed to abortion, and it was considered somewhat radical to support it. MO rabbis had no blowback for being against it. Nowadays, most MO people believe in it (and other abominations), and even some people with velvet fabric on their heads spout “right to privacy” nonsense and the slippery slope argument. That’s why many MO rabbis shifted. You want to know what MO will say next year? Take out a new york times magazine from 5 years ago, and it’ll match up almost perfectly.
You’re right that they pick and choose. This is probably the only teshuva from the tzitz eliezer that they know, much like the only rambam that they know is his shitoh about being supported by the community to learn. It’s honestly pathetic.
As for the claim that the tzitz eliezer is more grounded than rav Moshe – how much shimush have you had in psak to make such a vlaim? Rav Moshe was very meikil, and had no problems allowing things that the majority didn’t. If you eat cholov stam (which im sure the above posters do) then you should not dismiss his psak on abortions either. The psak is “unusual” because they’re used to rav moshe allowing everything, so when he says no to something – emphatically so – rather than listen to the manhig hador, they turn and dig up whoever they can find who says what they want to hear.
Rav Moshe was also from alonr. Rav avigdor miller called abortion infanticide.