Kerry is missing a chance to reduce abortions in U.S.

[DaveSZ]

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/08/14Abort_edit.html


Kerry is missing a chance to reduce abortions in U.S.
Paul J. Contino, SPECIAL TO THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
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Saturday, August 14, 2004

'We can do better. And help is on the way."

When I heard that refrain in Sen. John Kerry's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, it reminded me of why I am a Democrat at heart. In my lifetime, the Democratic Party has stood consistently on the side of the poor, the weak, the vulnerable.

But I have not cast my vote for a Democratic presidential candidate in 12 years because the Democrats have refused to extend their protection to the weakest and most vulnerable: unborn children.

Given the terrible number of abortions that are allowed each year, each day in our country — 1.31 million pregnancies were terminated by abortion in the U.S. in 2000, the most recent statistics available, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute — we surely can do better. And Kerry should make just such a proposition part of his campaign. I am not suggesting that Kerry commit himself to overturning Roe vs. Wade — although I think it should be overturned. But I am suggesting that he challenge those who are considering abortion to "do better," and that he challenge the United States as a nation to "do better" by them.

-more

Contino is a Catholic and a professor at Pepperdine University.

[bemildred]

1. More drool. nt

[jjmalonejr]

2. Even granting the fact that the battle over abortion...

...is a civil rights issue, I'm not sure why more Democrats don't address the numerous ways we can reduce the necessity of abortion without sacrificing a woman's right to choose.

Such proposals would in no way be a retreat from the Democratic Party's current position on abortion (that a woman's right to choose is paramount), but they would sure go a long way towards reassuring pro-life people that Democrats actually care about protecting unborn children.

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. Dear Mr. Contino.

Kindly go fuck yourself.

[wurzel]

4. I'm more interested in protecting kids without health care and food.

n/t

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. Can't one be....at least theoretically...

be interested in BOTH? I don't understand why this becomes an either/or proposition.

People are dying in the Sudan; should we wait until everyone in the USA has health care and jobs before we do anything about it?

It's hard to accept the premise of some that a fetus of 6-9 mos. development does not deserve SOME legal protection.

Paul

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. How about reversing the suspiciously political decision of the FDA

not to allow over the counter sales of emergency contraception? Since the medical advisory committee recommended allowing it, the decision not to is tainted (they claimed there wasn't enough data on the safety for young girls - well, young girls still at school are bound to be the least able to get doctor's appointments at short notice, especially if they don't think they can let their parents know). Why couldn't they have OKed the sale to those over 16 (or some age) immediately, and said the sale to girls of any age was dependent on more complete data for young girls?