Hallelujah! Some Abortion Foes Shifting Focus From Ban to Reduction

[liberal N proud]

By Jacqueline L. Salmon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Page A01

Frustrated by the failure to overturn Roe v. Wade, a growing number of antiabortion pastors, conservative academics and activists are setting aside efforts to outlaw abortion and instead are focusing on building social programs and developing other assistance for pregnant women to reduce the number of abortions.

Some of the activists are actually working with abortion rights advocates to push for legislation in Congress that would provide pregnant women with health care, child care and money for education -- services that could encourage them to continue their pregnancies.

Their efforts, they said, reflect the political reality that legal challenges to abortion rights will not be successful, especially after Barack Obama's victory this month in the presidential election and the defeat of several ballot measures that would have restricted access to abortions. Although the activists insist that they are not retreating from their belief that abortion is immoral and should be outlawed, they argue that a more practical alternative is to try to reduce abortions through other means.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111703682.html?hpid=topnews


I am OK with counselors talking to women about alternatives as long as they are left with the choice.

[ck4829]

1. "services that could encourage them to continue their pregnancies"

I know of nobody who would want to oppose that. I wonder why they haven't caught on to this idea sooner, might have something to do with a landslide loss.

[patrice]

2. Why? Because it was NEVER about Life. It was/is about Power.

If Life were the highest priority, reducing Abortions would have been the highest priority from the beginning, because reducing abortions results in more "Life".

No, it's always been about the expectation that certain classes have that they should be OBEYED, no matter whether what they say is best or not. "Because I/WE say so!"

[liberal N proud]

4. It was always about forcing people to submit to them

[patrice]

6. i.e. the opposite of what this guy Jesus was all about. nt

[noonwitch]

14. I think the leadership manipulates the people who genuinely believe it is murder

To gain political power and get donations.

There are a lot of people who genuinely think that abortion is murder, not all of them for religious reasons. My grandparents raised 2 handicapped children, and my grandpa thinks that unless its rape, incest or the mother's life on the line, abortion should be illegal. He thinks it's taking the easy way out.

I disagree with him, obviously, but his intent in opposing abortion is not to keep women down, but to bring more children into the world. He's a racist who thinks abortion should be legal for black women, but I won't even go there anymore with him.

[patrice]

15. Yes, I agree; some people ARE opposed to it on an ethical basis and I even

agree with them to a certain extent. For me personally, Adoption takes a strong priority over Abortion and I don't REALLY understand why it's easier to kill whatever it is rather than let it develop and then give it up (FOREVER) to someone else to Love. BUT I recognize the absolute NECESSITY of the individual making their own decisions, RIGHT OR WRONG, and accepting the consequences for those decisions. We'll never get anywhere as a species unless people are free to grow and learn and, in the long run, I DO believe that this will result in the best mothers and families possible.

[Eryemil]

3. THIS is what they should have been doing in the first place!

[KharmaTrain]

5. Repackaging...

For many years, the "right to life" hucksters used abortion as a cash cow. It bought influence, TV time and nice cars and houses. Just cry about the millions of "unborn" who have been killed, flash the phone number on the teevee and watch the phones light up. Until 2000, it was sure-fire as one could blame the Democratic Congress or the Clenis or "librul judges" as the roadblocks...cry some more and watch the phones light up again.

When booshie came in, many thought he'd ride to the rescue and legislate Roe out of existance. Not only didn't he do much about it but seemed not to care...except when he needed money or votes. Things came to a head with Terri Schaivo when boooooshie backed down and the rift started...the "right to lifers" flocked to Huckleberry last year and were reluctant riders on the Old Gramps express. That was until they unleashed the Barracuda. Still...the money wasn't flowing anymore...the influence had waned and times have gotten tough...Venom on the Family just let go 20% of their staff and the phones just don't ring that much anymore. Time to retool.

This is a game now of re-establishing a base...going back to the 90's...sounding moderate rather than extreme in hopes of getting those phones to ring again.

Cheers...

[patrice]

7. "Ideological" or not, I'll be rejecting any packaging that does say ANTI-WAR in big letters on the

outside. Any thing else, no matter how they strut their "Life" stuff, is a LIE.

This issue should be approached from the (honest) Pro-Life+Anti-War perspective, because that gives us a big crowbar for Social & Economic Justice.

[tanyev]

8. Yep. I'll believe they are really sincere about ending abortion

when they start promoting contraception.

[liberal N proud]

11. Or allowing insurance companies to cover birth control pills

It is insane when an insurance company will pay for Viagra but will not cover birth control.

[iamahaingttta]

9. Well it's about fucking time!

Maybe some of these people have finally purchased a clue?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. Have they finally figured out that outlawing abortion won't stop abortion?

If a woman needs and is determined to get an abortion, she'll get one. This has always been the case. The difference is that illegal abortions often end in health complications or even death of the woman involved.

It is interesting that a faction of the anti-choice movement has finally realized this and are willing to address the issues that cause a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy.

But it is very interesting that the majority of anti-choice groups don't care. This points out the fact that they really aren't interested in the woman or her child--they are interested in power, and power alone.

[sofa king]

12. They already got their wish.

By electing a Democratic President. Abortions decreased by at least 17% under President Clinton.

It's still under dispute whether or not abortions decreased at all under President Bush.

[applegrove]

13. I think everyone wants a reduction in the number of abortions.