Rev. Jim Wallis Pushes for Abortion Reduction Plank

[Perky]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/06/obama-friend-pu.html

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Gregory Wallace Report: Before the Democrats convene in Denver, the Rev. Jim Wallis plans to urge Barack Obama to go along with adding an “abortion reduction” plank to the party platform.

“Abortion reduction should be a central Democratic Party plank in this election,” Wallis told ABC News. “I’ll just say that flat out.”

Wallis, who hosted a Democratic candidates’ forum on CNN last year, discussed his plans after defending Obama against Dr. James Dobson’s charge that the Illinois Democrat distorted the traditional understanding of the Bible when he spoke to Wallis’s Sojourners group in 2006.

Beyond his plans to make a personal plea to Obama, Wallis said that he pitched the idea last week to DNC Chairman Howard Dean. The Rev. Tony Campolo, who sits on the party’s platform committee, also supports the plank and plans to push it, according to Wallis.

“This is going to be a big Denver conversation,” said Wallis. “You don’t have to call for criminalizing anyone. You don’t have to take a different stance about a woman’s right to choose. But you begin with the need for reducing abortion dramatically.”

The abortion reduction plank that Wallis envisions would call for making adoption easier, supporting low-income women, and stepping up pregnancy prevention efforts.

Without calling for restrictions such as parental consent laws, Wallis believes that if the Democrats were to alter their abortion platform, it could help them make inroads among young evangelicals and Catholics.

“Taking abortion seriously as a moral issue would help Democrats a great deal with a constituency that is already leaning in their direction on poverty and the environment,” said Wallis. “There are literally millions of votes at stake.”

Asked for Obama's postion on the proposed "abortion reduction" plank, a campaign spokesperson offered no immediate comment.

[XemaSab]

1. Interesting idea

Especially when pushed as a big sex-ed non-abstinence-only education drive.

Christian fundies are more worried about people having premarital sex than they are about abortion or unwanted babies, and we should call them on it.

[rucky]

2. Bravo!

Just to nip this in the bud early on, the slippery slope arguement is a fallacy. I am adamantly pro-choice, and believe in the "Safe, Legal & Rare" credo. I think this is a winning stance and the start of some common ground on this hot-button issue.

[blondeatlast]

3. Excellent! Wallis is an evangelical in the BEST sense of the word--as in

doing what Christ taught, not saying it.

This is very timely and smart.

[bluestateguy]

4. Want to reduce abortions? Here's how

Create a growing economy that provides opportunity for all people, not just the well to do. You'll reduce abortions because more women will feel like they can afford to raise a child.

Universal health care. See to it that all children have health care that does not come at a crippling cost to parents. Abortions will drop when people see that health care for their children is not overly expensive.

Fact based sex-education that will reduce unwanted pregnancies. This does not mean abandoning any discussion of abstinence, but it does mean that discussion of condoms and birth control pills should not be taboo subjects.

Fatherhood. Go after dead-beat fathers and publicly shame "men" who abandon their offspring. Abortions will drop when mothers feel that they will have a father to help raise the child.

[Jed Dilligan]

22. You lost me at fatherhood

Parenthood should not be forced on men or women. There should be a legal process for men to "abort" their children when the women they impregnate choose not to abort against the man's will. I think the physical abortion is absolutely the woman's choice but both parties have equal responsibility (except in rape cases, where there should be financial restitution for mother and child but no "fatherhood" relationship whatsoever.) If one sex can choose not to have a kid, the other must be able to as well. But, in the case of men, it needs to be done legally, not by stepping out for a pack of cigs and not coming back. I am all for punishing men and women who commit to caring for a child and then back out.

The idea of forcing people into unwanted relationships is the only motivator for the "pro-life" side--their faux outrage about dead embryos notwithstanding. They want to force people into loveless, hateful marriages because it fits with their vision of total social control and immiseration of people on earth. Why should we mirror their hideous, fascistic vision by targeting one sex or than the other for punishment?

[loyalsister]

31. I vote men just be able to stab women

why not?

[Scout]

36. "when the women they impregnate choose not to abort against the man's will"

my, my, my, aren't we the arrogant asshole!

ha, ha, ha

how about if you are going to worry about your sperm, you be more careful where you leave it big boy?

[sniffa]

51. I'm all for keeping your dick in your pants

if not, then caring for the kid. Marriage doesn't have to be a part of it.

[JerseygirlCT]

24. Yes.

All of that *increases* choices. Offers more choice. That's a good thing.

Fewer abortions is a good thing. I highly doubt many think otherwise. And Wallis is smart to see that it's been too easy to pigeonhole Dems as people who think abortion is just dandy, uncomplicated, and not important.

It's an important decision. Which is why it's a decision that can and should only be made by the woman involved. But offering her other good options after a pregnancy is fine. Offering her and her partner the information and contraception they need BEFORE a pregancy occurs is terrific.

I don't want to see women coerced into deciding against abortion if that's the best decision for them. But I do like the idea of expanding the possible choices.

[Scout]

35. WHY is fewer abortions a good thing?

Fewer UNWANTED PREGNANCIES is a good thing...

[JerseygirlCT]

40. Yes, and thus the need for fewer abortions.

You won't need abortions without unwanted pregnancies, or medical issues preventing the continuation of a pregnancy, would you?

Both of those situations would be helped by better medical care and better education.

Abortion will never be eliminated - but working toward making them less necessary is a good thing, IMO.

[anonymous171]

30. I think that is what he is implying.

[tomg]

5. Wallis is really one of the

truly good guys. If you are not familiar with Sojourners, check it out. Incidentally, I'm agnostic.

[Vinca]

6. I hate to be the skunk at the picnic, but it drives me nuts when men

feel they have the right to decide what women should choose to do with their bodies, pregnant or otherwise. Until Rev. Wallis sprouts a uterus, I'm not terribly interested in listening to him. Here's an idea. How about we drop all the unwanted babies off at his house? Make it a law men rear and support the unwanted kids until age 18 and see how fast they STFU. I swear . . . sometimes these people give me the impression they think women get pregnant to intentionally have an abortion. It's not like going to the beauty parlor, guys.

[jonnyblitz]

8. my exact thoughts. when men can figure out how to get pregnant

THEN I might listen to them but until then they need to SHUT THE FUCK UP. I could never stand Jim Wallis anyways even though he is touted here as this wonderful progressive christian. I tried to read some book he wrote a few years back but couldn't get through it. I forget why.

[cbc5g]

11. so education to stop unwanted pregnancies is bad? He's not condemning abortion

The option is still open, but what he is saying is that they need to be reduced. The heart of the problem is a risky lifestyle and no insurance to cover birth contrl that can lead to unwanted pregnancies. Stressing birth control options to prevent unwanted pregnancies is good in my opinion. It's better than abstinence only and we need christian leaders (mostly men) on our side.

[JerseygirlCT]

25. Well, I agree to some extent

But what I'm reading is a proposal to expand the practical choices that women have: better healthcare, financial supports, better sex education and contraception. I'm fine with anything that makes a woman's choice really that. For instance, it's not much of a choice when you must opt for an abortion though you'd rather not because you cannot afford to raise the child.

[Missouri Girl]

7. It is an economic issue . . .

I have always said that if women had true "choice", where they had access to a good job, quality health care, quality day care, etc., abortion numbers would decrease. I don't know percentages or statistics, but I just feel that many women make the choice for an abortion because they don't feel they DO have a real choice. Tough economic conditions force tough decisions. Fundies want to make it illegal, but they don't understand that they can accomplish the same thing (decrease abortion dramatically) through better economic policies for women.

At least that's my thoughts anyway. My great gma died from a botched illegal abortion in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. When things got really bad and my great Gpa lost his job, my great grandparents moved from Chicago back to the family farm with my then four year old Grandma. Shortly thereafter, my great grandmother gets pregnant and my grandmother loses her Mom.

I think this is a great way to neutralize the right wingers without compromising the Dem's tradition of Pro-Choice, Pro-Women.

[flpoljunkie]

9. Abortion reduction fine. Repeal of Rowe v. Wade, never!

And, with major funding for sex education, family planning funding, support, healthcare for low-income families.

[Scout]

10. are they TRYING to drive women away from the Dems?

keep your god damned nose out of my uterus!

:nuke:

[Renew Deal]

14. So you're pro-abortion?

:shrug:

[Scout]

32. yes, i am pro-abortion for any woman who wants one

i'm just fucking sick of abortion being a political issue.

It has no business being in any party planks, and politicians just need to fucking leave it alone.

I don't care if abortion is "safe, legal and rare" i just want it safe and legal.

[ruggerson]

42. Only rightwingers use the term "pro abortion"

what we are is pro choice.

[JerseygirlCT]

26. I'm not seeing that here

What about this do you see as interfering with your rights? (I'm being serious).

[Scout]

33. see post above.... n/t

[JerseygirlCT]

41. Doesn't really answer the question

what part of increasing education and contraception, increasing the availability of good medical care and offering assistance, financially, to women who would otherwise want to carry to term impinges on your rights?

Offering greater choice is a good thing. Choice isn't choice when it doesn't exist, and for too many women, it doesn't. The only option - financially or for some other reasons - is an abortion, even if they'd like to have the child.

I firmly believe it's the woman's choice. No one but the pregnant women is qualified to make that important decision for herself. But I have no objection to making it possible for all women to actually have a choice.

[anonymous171]

12. Good idea. Dem policies usually do result in a decrease in abortion.

[Renew Deal]

13. "Taking abortion seriously as a moral issue"

That lines going to drive some crazy here.

[madfloridian]

34. Is vasectomy a moral issue?

I think we should make it one.

Is viagra a moral issue? They are making hormone pills an issue for women.

I think viagra should be a moral issue.

:shrug:

[alarimer]

37. It isn't a moral issue at all and shouldn't be treated as one.

It is not immoral to get an abortion for whatever reason.

I don't necessarily disagree with Wallis on this but I think it is not a moral issue at all. Abortion should be available for any reason at any time. And women should not be judged for doing so. I do realize that most are done for pure economic reasons and that anything that improves the ability of women to take care of themselves is a good thing. That means good jobs, access to health care (including real sex education and contraception that is covered by insurance). It may also reduce abortions but I really do not care about that at all. In fact, they should also be covered by insurance.

[yardwork]

15. I'll go along with that as long as the plan is good. Does it include universal healthcare?

The risk factors for unplanned pregnancies are well-known: Women who feel that they have no roles in life beyond being subordinate to men, women with no economic independence of their own, women with little education or employable skills, women without access to birth control, women in abusive relationships with men, women with no access to medical or mental healthcare to help them address issues of abuse, depression, and despair - these are all risk factors for unplanned pregnancies.

Eliminate the risk factors by giving all Americans better opportunities for health care, education, and employment, and we will reduce abortions.

[TheKentuckian]

17. A reasoned difference between

pro-choice and pro-abortion would help to dramatically reduce the wedginess of the issue, while protecting choice.

The militant stance is a loser and is one purely of rhetoric rather than substance.
What some don't get is that if we remove the hot button factor we could substantially increase our working base and in the end, choice will then actually be safe and off the table as a way to whip up the loonies.

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare

[slackmaster]

18. It sounds good to me, without having seen the details

There is common ground between the extremes on abortion.

[grantcart]

19. another guy that plays chess when the fundies are playing checkers

[Doctor_J]

20. I like it

Bring in a little Jed Bartlet Christianity. Even more evangelicals coming over.

[Radical Activist]

21. Sounds like what Bill Clinton did

and what has worked to reduce abortion in other countries.

[JerseygirlCT]

23. I have no problem with efforts to increase women's access to

health care and information. To offer them more choices by offering financial assistance. None of that troubles me at all.

I have a problem with anything that restricts a woman's right to make her own decisions, however. These ideas don't seem to touch on that.

[genna]

27. Abortion should be legal and extremely rare. If they need to call it abortion reduction

choose it last...
plan ahead...
please please please wrap it up before you do anything...


Whatever we can do to make it rare, I'm all for it. It is still a woman's body and should remain her option as the commander of her body.

[Solon]

28. We will have to examine, carefully, any such plank, and I hope the DNC does too...

to make sure no language is inserted that could imply that laws should be put in place to restrict abortions at all. Education, access to health care and contraceptives, improving living conditions, etc. are all laudable goals. However, perhaps it would be best if this "reducing abortions" plank wasn't set aside, by itself, but was part of a larger program from helping working and middle class families, increase funding for public school sex education curriculum, etc.

[AllentownJake]

29. Totally Agree

Proper birth control should be a national health care priority including education and free distribution.

People are going to have sex despite what the Fundies think. Their own leaders cheat on their wives while preaching abstinence to the masses. Someone needs to point out the hypocrytes so that we can have a sensible family planning policy.

[JoFerret]

38. Here we go

And so it begins.

[davsand]

39. What a concept--make abortion less necessary.

I have zero problems with taking a common sense position here.

I sincerely doubt that ANY woman gets up one morning and says, "I think I'll go get the contents of my uterus scraped out just because I can! Thank you Roe -v-Wade! Now I have something to do with my day!" Operating from that foundation, it only makes sense that anything we can do to spare any woman from facing an unchosen pregnancy is probably a pretty good idea.


Fund contraceptive research so that maybe we can find a form of birth control that is 100% effective and less hazardous to women's health--that would be an excellent start.

Providing education on reproduction that goes beyond "just cross your legs, dear," probably is a pretty good idea.

Access to women's health care and prenatal care is a good start.

Free contraceptives might help.

Free child care might help.

Being allowed to stay home with our babies might help.


There are any number of things we can do to reduce the need for abortion and I think we need to be discussing them. I am of the opinion that it would be just fine by me if no woman ever had to face the decision of abortion or not because pregnancy was a chosen and planned thing. Until that magic day comes, abortion needs to be safe, legal and private.



Laura

[Mz Pip]

43. Hasn't this always been the goal

of sane, enlightened people? Bill Clinton wanted to make abortions, safe, legal and rare. How can anyone argue with that?

Women don't want to have abortions, but they do need that as an option.

If the right to lifers really really really wanted to make abortions rare there would be a huge push for cheap, easy access to birth control, education and family planning information. Make birth control free.

Let's have this conversation with the anti-choice crowd and reveal to the world what a bunch of hypocrites they really are.

[Hepburn]

44. Abortion should be safe and legal...

...end of discussion. Frankly, I do not give a shit if it is or is not rare. That is a personal option and none of my business. My nose needs to remain centered on MY legitimate concerns and NOT on what some other woman does with her body which conduct has less than -0- impact on me.

JMHO

[Sensitivity]

45. GOOD PLAN. Anything to move Dems platform away from a "religious" support for abortion rights

[Mass]

46. I find extremely disturbing this notion to put the woman at fault when she has an abortion, and,

once again, this is what this is about.

I have no issue with fighting unwanted pregnancies, helping women be financially able to take care of their kids. I do not know a woman who WANTED an abortion. This is important and it would be great to explain it is the GOP who prevents that.

Unfortunately, the latest sentence,

“Taking abortion seriously as a moral issue would help Democrats a great deal with a constituency that is already leaning in their direction on poverty and the environment,” said Wallis. “There are literally millions of votes at stake.”

shows that it is about the fact that an abortion is morally reprehensible, and it would be nice if Wallis could understand where this is wrong.

[hfojvt]

50. How is it wrong though?

It IS a moral issue for millions of people, some of whom might vote Democratic if it was blunted as an issue. A bad thing is not always morally reprehensible. Take smoking, for example. Not good for your health, and a society, it is discouraged, but it is not considered, at least by most, to be morally reprehensible to smoke.

[eleny]

47. "Safe, legal and rare" was and is the way to deal with the issue, imo

[JoFerret]

48. and on demand.

Along with all forms of contraception and required education in human sexuality K- adult.

[eleny]

49. That'll do it - the whole package

If we can have erectile dysfunction and tampon ads, we can have public service announcements for contraceptives, too.

[JoFerret]

53. Why settle for less?

How about public service announcements explaining the basics of human reproduction and contraception?

[eleny]

54. That's what Discovery Channel is for

PS announcements are just that - announcements. Short, snappy pieces to get your attention and make you think like "This is your brain on drugs" sort of thing.

But if you can explain reproduction, birth and responsibility in 30 seconds - hey, go for it!

[wyldwolf]

52. the concept of safe, rare, and legal.. A prime example of the third way.

[RainDog]

55. more b.s. from the "godly" among us

who has ever, ever, in the entire history of the democratic party wanted abortion to be the first choice for anyone? no one that I can remember. the right wing has framed the pro-choice issue as some how being equal to "anti-morality."

give me a fucking break. want to know where so many unwanted pregnancies occur? In the fundie/evangelical hotbeds of this country. want to know where the most divorces occur? In the fundie/evangelical hotbeds of this nation.

I am so sick of the Pharasitical protestants in this nation who think that, because they seem to have no ethical foundation unless it is forced upon them by a big scary invisible man, the rest of us cannot figure out how best to create the conditions for live, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Birth control, easily available, is important. Information about sex is important. Having something to look forward to as a goal in life other than being submissive to a husband is important. Now, who, over all these years, has been the biggest opponent of these things? The Pharisees who pretend they are our moral superiors.

Well, post-Christian Europe, as Scalia calls it, seems to have figured out how to make life better for its citizens and it didn't even need to have some jerk off on teevee or HuffPo or anywhere else tell them how to do it. All you have to do is look at demographic studies to know that education, opportunity and economic independence are the keys to lower pregnancy rates and greater democracy.

Jesus, save me from your followers. Their arrogance makes me want to puke.