Pro-Choice: Maybe It's Time To Re-Educate The Voters?

[Vogon_Glory]

I am wondering if it's time for pro-choice and reproductive rights activists to re-educate the voters as to what's at stake this election. I say this because I heard a very interesting audio clip on the radio, where a complacent pro-choice voter voted for Mitt Romney because she thought he was still pro-choice, like he supposedly was back when he was Governor of Massachusetts. She was startled to learn that he is now anti-abortion, and she only learned it AFTER she exited the poling booth.

I think there are a lot of careless uninformed voters who have similar thought patterns. They either assume that their pet Republican politician either favors access to abortion or supports reproductive rights. I think that reproductive rights groups ought to provide little reminders about Republican politicians' "devolution" from formerly supportive or neutral to actively hostile when it comes to access to birth control as well as abortion.

Reminding voters "That was then, this is now" is not something progressive activists have been good at over the years.

[dembotoz]

1. we have to do something

[CTyankee]

2. I don't know why the leaders of the two major pro-choice groups in this country haven't stepped up.

I call it "hiding behind their castle walls."

We should take a page from the gay rights movement. The two movements are remarkably similar in many ways. They didn't back down from a down and dirty fight. They battled back and have come a LONG way. Public opinion polls are showing strong support for gay marriage rights. Family planning (and in particular abortion rights) is polling less popular with each succeeding year.

The leaders of the entire family planning movement in this country and here in my state have become complacent. They are only talking to each other. they ignore the press, refuse to debate right to lifers and THEN when family planning funding is REALLY being threatened they cry. Here in my city, they appear in a big photo on the front page of the local newspaper, looking forlorn. They should have been in more public debates and venues in the first place so people wouldn't fall for the lies of the anti choice movement.

We've given up taking the case to the people. There are lots of excuses which are just that, excuses. Back in the 60s women went public about their abortions, we marched and lobbied and talked to the press. Since then we've been backpedaling.

This has been a very disturbing trend...it's time to turn it around!



We got insular and afraid over the years. It was nice having a solidly prochoice state Attorney General who could be counted on. That is fine and wonderful and I'm glad. But we can't stop there. We have to "friend raise" as well as "fund raise."

[Irishonly]

3. We have to do something

Our allies are slowly "compromising" our rights away.