For Democrats, Rethinking Abortion Runs Risks

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/politics/16abortion.html?hp&ex=1108616400&en=ac6153744b076121&ei=5094&partner=homepage

For Democrats, Rethinking Abortion Runs Risks
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

Published: February 16, 2005


WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 - In their search for middle ground on the subject of abortion, Democrats are encountering a mixture of resistance and retreat from abortion rights advocates in their own party.<snip>

Emily's List and other groups have also sounded alarms about the direction the party leadership is taking over all. During the search for a national Democratic chairman, Ms. White posted a rallying cry on the group's Web site: "We fought like mad to beat back the Republicans. Little did we know that we would have just as much to fear from some within the Democratic Party who seem to be using choice as a scapegoat for our top-of-the-ticket losses."

Emily's List is circulating a study it commissioned by the pollster Mark Mellman stating that abortion "was not a factor in voters' decision-making" in the November elections. <snip>

Another large abortion rights group, Naral Pro-Choice, is reversing course, saying it will drop its opposition to the proposed Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, a bill that would require doctors to offer anesthetic for the fetuses of women seeking abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.<snip>

[applegrove]

1. I see absolutely nothing wrong with abortions being as rare as

possible. Which means to use extreme measures to ensure that teens have access to birth control pills and such. And you need excellent information on the Web about birth control and advertisement.

You certainly can teach about virginity pledges in school (and give the kids numbers on how successful that is and anecdotal information on how people felt about it and what they think the benefits were). But you also put information out there about kids and single motherhood, adoptions and birth control. And you make those options open & common knowledge too and accessible, accessible, etc. And you put information out there on where and when to get the morning after pill. So that it is as common knowledge as it is on University campuses.

And that is how you make abortion rare.

[papau]

2. I agree - I do not see the "risks" that the story implies

:-)

[applegrove]

3. We can rethink the sexual health of our teens and put All the options

on the table and try to reduce unwanted pregnancy & abortions. I would be the first to get a sign and stand outside an abortion clinic if they tried to close it down.

I know for sure that rich and middle class women will get on planes to England and Europe and Canada if you make abortion illegal in the USA. That is how it was before and that is what it will return to.

The rich will fly; the poor will die in desperation.

I think that if you gave kids access to it all (like encouraged every home with teens to send them to the doctor to get a kit with information and the morning after pill and information on virginity and the address to the local clinic where you can get free birth control) that the number of abortions (a horrible thing to happen) would be reduced. That and finally it looks like a 'little pill' for boys and a little 'reversible operation for boys' will make things much better.

But nobody can tell someone who was tricked into getting pregnant "yes I had the operation - don't worry" that they have to go through with the pregnancy. Or rape victims, etc. The important thing is to make that be rare.

So if you want to talk abortion - I'll talk abortion and that means birth control and making sure that all people have access to the same health choices.