On August 16th, Saddleback Church is sponsoring Senators Obama and McCain for their first joint event of the campaign, the Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion. Some on the far right have expressed concern that the Pastor of Saddleback Church, Rev. Rick Warren, is under tremendous pressure not to put Senator Obama on the hot seat about abortion and will not ask the “right” questions that would make Senator Obama “squirm” when he asks questions of the candidates.
The conversation the right wants to have on abortion is the same tired extremist position of the past thirty years. This position has been front and center of the recent appointments of Supreme Court Judges. It is hoped that they will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, which will in turn lead us into another long divisive struggle as the abortion issue is determined, if ever, at the state level. All the while mind you, abortions will continue on demand in this country. It seems as if the right wants women to continue to seek abortions so they can continue to roll it out every four years to inflame the conservative electorate.
I would suggest that Rick Warren have a conversation with Senators Obama and McCain about not only why women choose to have an abortion, but also how women can be empowered to make other choices instead of abortion.
The most fundamental underlying circumstances that lead to abortion include lack of comprehensive sex education of both sexes starting early in school, poverty, cyclical family attitudes, and impeded access to both contraceptives and quality and affordable healthcare.
It is reported that nearly six million American women become pregnant each year. Of these, almost half are unintended. 80% of these unintended pregnancies are teen pregnancies. Over half of unintended pregnancies each year occur among women aged 15-44 who do not use contraception. As part of the unfortunate circumstances listed above, the lack of access to education and health care is the main reason women don’t use contraception.
15% of American women of childbearing age are poor. 17% have no health insurance. 43% of unintended pregnancies result in abortion. 44% result in births that the mother did not want, in many instances, cannot support and cannot provide health care for.
The conversation at Saddleback also should be about offering policy solutions that promote life and the support of parents beyond the birth of their new child. We have a moral obligation to find common ground, moving the conversation beyond the question of the legality of abortion and move towards actually reducing the need for abortion by investing in programs that will reduce both unintended pregnancies and abortions.
Eric McFadden served as State Director of Faith & Values for the Hillary Clinton campaign.
posted August 5, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Sounds good to me. Abortion reduction should appeal to both pro-life and pro-choice people. Unfortunately, Bushco is attacking conception right now and promoting flawed abstinence only programs, moves that would probably end up INCREASING the rate of unwanted pregnancy and abortion.
posted August 6, 2008 at 4:02 pm
This is a refreshing look at the issue.
posted August 7, 2008 at 8:44 am
I am not sure McCain would know how to respond if the conversation was about the cause of abortion rather than appointing judges and disregarding women and their children. Didn’t he vote against SCHIP?
posted August 7, 2008 at 8:56 am
I read your post, and I agree whole heartedly we need to do anything we can to reduce or eliminate the need for abortion.
I also believe that as a society we should also do everything we can to reduce or eliminate the act of murder in the US. Far too many people succumb to murder in this country.
Oh yeah, murder is against the law. Such dogmatic laws really have no place in our liberal society. Let us therefore work to repeal the laws against murder.
Please don’t use faith as part of your professed doctrine. You may be fooling some people, but God will not be fooled.
posted August 7, 2008 at 10:42 am
Larry,
The abortion rates are roughly the same now as they were prior to Roe v. Wade, do you actually think that criminalizing abortion will end it? Shouldn’t we look at the symptomatic reasons why women choose abortion? Your strategy of trying to criminalize abortion has not worked for over 30 years; it is time to rethink this issue. Mr. McFadden presents a goal that is realistic and meaningful and does not represent political posturing.
posted August 7, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Yes, this is a fresh approach. We should apply this approach to slavery. Why should people who need housework done be prohibited from owning a slave? Let’s lift the prohibitions and apply Eric’s “fresh approach”. America is a free country and women who work full time should be free to own slaves.
posted August 13, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I would ask each candidate what they are doing to promote adoption. If we don’t want young women to abort, then we need to find an alternative. We have a lot of couples in America who spend billions of dollars because they are having a hard time conceiving a child.
Why not use adoption to help deal with both problems? Instead of pro-choice or pro-life, let’s be pro-adoption and bring both sides together.
posted August 14, 2008 at 4:48 pm
If I had only one question for both of these candidates, I would ask for something that would have permanent resolution and not just answered to win votes.
I would ask…
In this life we live in, there is consequences for actions, whether good or bad. So why is our government officials who are supposed to have been elected to serve the American People constantly LIE and MISLEAD, Steal and creat wars yet NO ONE IS TO BE CLAIMED RESPONSIBLE? If it was a department, then make the department heads responsible, if it is the whole group, then make them all criminals and make them pay for what we are now having to deal with.
What can we expect from either one of you to create ACCOUNTABILITY in our government?
Maybe, one can promise that if while in office we can hold them accountable for their actions and can be held against the U.S. Law without mattering their title we have given them.
posted August 15, 2008 at 11:15 pm
what does it say of a society that does not protect the most vulnerable and innocent? every time i’ve conceived, the doctor never said “look at that apple!” or “look at that cat!” it’s always human, at its weakest, at its earliest stages. i’m not surprised at the violence in this country,the murders, capital punishment, and all the wars we end up being involved in. since we legally protect the destruction of our youngest members, the rest seems a domino effect…such an anti-mother anti-child society (on many different levels) will eventually unravel.