I though Hillary's Abortion Speech was EXCELLENT (plus EXCERPT)

[liberalpragmatist]

Many people on the board seem to have totally misread the speech or didn't read it and only read the misleading press reports.

The speech not once called for rolling back abortion rights. It simply stated very clearly that the goal should be towards reducing abortions and making them unnecessary by preventing unwanted pregnancies through increased family planning, sex ed, and keeping abortion legal as a last resort.

I think this is exactly the kind of approach we need to have in coming campaigns.

An excerpt:

So whether it was Romania saying you had to have children for the good of the state, or China saying you can only have one child for the good of the state, the government was dictating the most private and important decisions we make as families and as women. Now with all of this talk about freedom as the defining goal of America, let's not forget the importance of the freedom of women to make the choices that are consistent with their faith and their sense of responsibility to their family and themselves.

I heard President Bush talking about freedom and yet his Administration has acted to deny freedom to women around the world through a global gag policy, which has left many without access to basic reproductive health services.

This decision, which is one of the most fundamental, difficult and soul searching decisions a woman and a family can make, is also one in which the government should have no role. I believe we can all recognize that abortion in many ways represents a sad, even tragic choice to many, many women. Often, it's a failure of our system of education, health care, and preventive services. It's often a result of family dynamics. This decision is a profound and complicated one; a difficult one, often the most difficult that a woman will ever make. The fact is that the best way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in the first place.

<snip>

The use of contraception is a big factor in determining whether or not women become pregnant. In fact, this is a statistic that I had not known before we started doing the research that I wanted to include in this speech, 7% of American women who do not use contraception account for 53% of all unintended pregnancies. So by preventing unintended pregnancy, contraception reduces the need for abortion. Improving insurance coverage of contraception will make contraception more affordable and reduce this rate of abortion. And expanding coverage and resources for Title X will do the same.

http://www.friendsofhillary.com/speeches/20050124.php

It's really an excellent speech. Other issues touched on the speech include the fact that abortions declined under Clinton and have risen under Bush and how the administration is witholding family planning money from other countries in the world.

I encourage you to read it before you jump to conclusions and start engaging in histrionics. At least read it first.

ON EDIT: Thought I'd add the excerpt that caused so much consternation on DU about respecting pro-life views. Again, read the whole paragraph:

I for one respect those who believe with all their hearts and conscience that there are no circumstances under which any abortion should ever be available. But that does not represent even the majority opinion within the anti-abortion community. There are exceptions for rape and for incest, for the life of the mother. Those in the pro-choice community who have fought so hard for so many years, not only to protect Roe v. Wade and the law of the land, but to provide the resources that would effectuate that constitutional right, believe just as strongly the point of view based on experience and conscience that they have come to. The problem I always have is what is the proper role of government in making this decision? That is why I started with two stories about Romania and China. When I spoke to the conference on women in Beijing in 1995 -- ten years ago this year -- I spoke out against any government interfering with the reproductive rights and decisions of women and families.