I'll give a more thoroughly reported response later but here are my first quick takes on the Democratic Party's new draft platform on abortion and its political implications
1) The Lack of Moral Language -- The key linguistic debate has been whether to "reduce the number of abortions" or "reduce the need for abortions." Pro-life folks favored the former. Pro-choice folks favored the latter. The pro-choice folks won. In fact, the 2004 platform said abortion "should be safe, legal and rare" - language that's casts abortion reduction as morally preferable, something this platform does not.
2) Abortion Reduction -- The draft platform includes - for the first time - language supporting policies specifically designed to reduce the need for abortions: "The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre and post natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs." We can therefore see the outlines of a pro-active position that might woo pro-life Catholics and evangelicals. Democrats can now say, you can support the Republican party which issues grand moralistic pronouncements but doesn't take enough practical steps to reduce the number of abortions or you can support the Democrats who do take those steps. It is an open question, however, whether Obama will go that far, since the platform clearly avoided using any moral language casting abortion as a morally inferior choice.
3) Conscience Clause -- There is no "conscience clause" acknowledging and respecting the diversity of opinion within the party on abortion. Pro-life Democrats had hoped for that.
4) Greater Inclusion -- Pro-life religious liberals were included in the process like they haven't been before. They're thrilled with their participation and feel that the platform moved in the right direction as a result. In any event, given the party's ambivalent attitude in the past toward pro-life Democrats, they view the inclusion itself as a big deal.
5) Government Funding - By supporting the right to abortion "regardless of ability to pay," the platform retains its support for federal government support for abortion through Medicaid, the health care program for low income people. Many centrist Democrats have taken the position that abortion should be legal but the government shouldn't subsidize it. The pro-choice community won on this one.
6) This isn't over -- After listening to a conference call of pro-life progressives, it's clear that some of them will continue to press for improved language before and during the convention -- and that they are hoping that Obama himself will go further in his own language. Specifically, they're looking to see if obama uses moral language that it's better to have fewer abortions than not.
All in all, I'd say that this platform does NOT do what was necessary to win substantial numbers of Catholics or moderate evangelicals. However, in combination with a strong personal statement from Obama about the moral necessity of reducing abortion, the party could make real headway. All eyes now turn to Obama's performance at Saddleback Church later this week.
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The really odd thing about “religious” peoples objection to abortion is how little faith these people seem to have in their God. Don’t these people believe in heaven/salvation? It seems to me that anyone who had any faith in Divine Justice, would believe that a loving and forgiving God would never condemn any soul that was truly innocent and pure. Therefore any human that never got a chance to live (i.e. was aborted) would either go straight to heaven, OR would be given another chance at life in another body at some point. In either case the baby’s soul is not harmed or doomed.
On the other hand, if God is not good/loving/caring then they might have something to worry about. I am not an organized religion adherant, but I have faith that God will treat these souls Justly
Safe sex with both partners taking resposibility , would prevent the need for unecessary procedures. Too many use abortion as birth control rather than acting responsibly. I feel woman should have the right to choose but they need to remember they are choosing for three, themselves the father, and the child. Both sides must respect the opinions of others.
First of all, I am very pleasantly surprised at the overall respectful tone of these comments.
Now. There are many things to consider.
1. Birth control fails.
2. Not everyone who wants an abortion is an unwed mother.
3. Not everyone who wants an abortion is a teen mother.
4. Not every abortion is the result of an unplanned pregnancy.
5. The current Republican, conservative administration has tried to enforce abstinence-based teachings in school as a method to reduce pregnancy. Good luck with that. I guess it's been about as successful as Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" (to drugs) campaign.
I disagree with another blog I read here, I think it was the Jim Wallis Sojourners link, that talked of abortion as a "moral" choice. I don't like that term, as it could easily imply that a woman who chooses to terminate her pregnancy is potentially immoral.
Maybe sometimes people think it's indeed the moral choice to end the pregnancy.
I cannot imagine a soul who supports a woman's right to choose as also not wishing that there could be fewer abortions, whatever the reason. No one wants more abortions. However, it's the proverbial slippery slope we risk falling down if we decide which abortions are okay and which are not. This is not to say, either, that abortion-on-demand in the eigth month should be as easy to get as an ice cream cone.
I just wish people would appreciate that most times, abortion is a last-choice choice (yes, I meant to repeat the word). However, I believe deeply it's an intensely personal choice and should be between the woman and her health care provider (and, in the best of circumstances, her family/partner).
Very well said, ecl. I agree with all of your post!
Many people passionate for abortion on demand believe that abortion actually helps women when, in reality, it hurts women profoundly.
They present abortion as the cure-all solution for unplanned pregnancy, but too many women find that their problems have only just begun after they have had an abortion.
Women who have had an abortion can experience feelings of grief, guilt, anger, shame, betrayal, regret, helplessness, and low self worth—a condition called post abortion distress.
Womens' stories on the website "Abortion Concern" confirm this, and the persistent complaint of not being able to forgive oneself for aborting one's child.
One woman said that since her abortion, "Psychologically, emotionally and physically I am a wreck!" She is plagued by constant abdominal pains that defy diagnosis, panic attacks which prevent her from traveling, and again the heart wrenching inability to forgive herself:
" Although I know that I'm truly forgiven by God, I cannot seem to forgive myself."
The truth about abortion on demand is that many times it is not even the pregnant woman's choice, rather she is forced into abortion at the demand of her bullying boyfriend, husband, or parents.
It's not the great cure-all solution for her problem, but theirs .
A women says, "I was 25 weeks pregnant when my parents and the baby's father forced me into an unwanted abortion. I named the baby Angel, since I loved her very much, and while she was in my womb I got to know her very well. I miss her dearly. I only hope one day God will forgive me."
It should be no surprise then that women who have had an abortion statistically suffer an abnormally high rate of drug and alcohol abuse and suicide.
The PA Pro-life Federation calls Barrack Obama the most pro abortion presidential candidate ever.
John McCain, however, has consistently sought to protect the unborn, and in so doing, women vulnerable to abortion on demand.
Your vote could literally save the lives of millions of unborn children, and prevent the anguish that abortion on demand inflicts on countless women.
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