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More Americans Are Pro-Life. So what?
With the passage of the House of Representatives' health-care bill with the Stupak Amendment, the debate over women's reproductive right is likely to reemerge as one of the front burner issues in the upcoming congressional races in 2010, particularly in swing states among social-conservative Republican challengers for current Democrat held seats.
Among anti-choice proponents there is a sense that this is their opportunity to push through their agenda. And it might very well be. Recent Gallup polling revealed for the first time that more Americans identify themselves as "pro-life" since Gallup first asked the question in 1995. Based on Gallup's survey the current break down is 51% self-identified as "pro-life" and 42% self-identified as pro-choice, which almost the complete inverse of the previous year where the break down was 50%-44% with pro-choice advocates being in the majority.
While it has always been my inclination to take what all polls say with a grain of salt, let us presume that Gallup's survey of "1,015 Americans, aged 18 and older," is truly reflective of Americans attitude toward women's reproductive rights.
So what?
Since 1973 after Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court has ruled that a woman's right to choose what to do with her body was not a matter of popular opinion but rather a constitutional right. Therefor while anti-choice Americans are more than free to object to the procedure and advocate that women not have an abortion the final decision (with limitations based on various state laws) would left to each individual woman to make on her own.
While anti-choice proponents in government and in media have made it a point to make it clear the ideological shift that is taking place across the country, pro-choice proponents must make it an objective to remind Americans that the issue at the heart of the debate is not where we place ourselves on the ideological spectrum on this issue, but rather why we as a society of free people should not impose our own beliefs about what we should do with our bodies on others.
Proponents of anti-choice measures gain nothing in their effort to deny women their right to decide for themselves, and ultimately only escalates the instances were women seek the procedure in unsafe conditions. However, as far as anti-choice proponents are concerned the less abortion procedures that take place on the books the better they can sleep at night. Ignorance truly is bliss.
Among anti-choice proponents there is a sense that this is their opportunity to push through their agenda. And it might very well be. Recent Gallup polling revealed for the first time that more Americans identify themselves as "pro-life" since Gallup first asked the question in 1995. Based on Gallup's survey the current break down is 51% self-identified as "pro-life" and 42% self-identified as pro-choice, which almost the complete inverse of the previous year where the break down was 50%-44% with pro-choice advocates being in the majority.
While it has always been my inclination to take what all polls say with a grain of salt, let us presume that Gallup's survey of "1,015 Americans, aged 18 and older," is truly reflective of Americans attitude toward women's reproductive rights.
So what?
Since 1973 after Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court has ruled that a woman's right to choose what to do with her body was not a matter of popular opinion but rather a constitutional right. Therefor while anti-choice Americans are more than free to object to the procedure and advocate that women not have an abortion the final decision (with limitations based on various state laws) would left to each individual woman to make on her own.
While anti-choice proponents in government and in media have made it a point to make it clear the ideological shift that is taking place across the country, pro-choice proponents must make it an objective to remind Americans that the issue at the heart of the debate is not where we place ourselves on the ideological spectrum on this issue, but rather why we as a society of free people should not impose our own beliefs about what we should do with our bodies on others.
Proponents of anti-choice measures gain nothing in their effort to deny women their right to decide for themselves, and ultimately only escalates the instances were women seek the procedure in unsafe conditions. However, as far as anti-choice proponents are concerned the less abortion procedures that take place on the books the better they can sleep at night. Ignorance truly is bliss.
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I personally think more people would get on board with a woman's right to chose if we did away with late term abortions, except under the rarest of circumstances.
This refusal to allow federal funds for abortions is like saying we have the right to say our tax dollars can't be used for wars, or for funding for education or for whatever else we, personally, do not like. It is stupid and it stinks (she says sticking her tongue out like a three year old...)(and stomping her feet!) This is just childish, and I can't believe we have to tolerate it.
November 8, 2009 11:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
This refusal to allow federal funds for abortions is like saying we have the right to say our tax dollars can't be used for wars, or for funding for education or for whatever else we, personally, do not like.
So you are pro-abortion, not pro-choice.
November 9, 2009 1:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nonsense -- she is saying that war is murder and that if we have freedom of conscience for individual moral beliefs why should she have to pay for it?
She also nots that if you run a country in which everybody's personal version of what is evil determines what taxes can be imposed you have chaos.
Also implicit in her comment is the recognition that Catholic dogma is being given more respect that the views of other groups. Quakers would very much like to have the Pentagon barred from receiving Federal funds because they view war as murder.
And the view that life begins at conception is absurd unless you believe that the the sperm and the egg are dead.
November 9, 2009 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Personally if we can't have our tax dollars go to abortions I would like to make sure no money goes towards Viagra.
However, the Hyde amendment was passed Democratically, so we have to live with it until we have the votes to repeal it.
November 9, 2009 12:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, seems a little weird that they'll pay to make sure the weapon works, but not for the damage it does...go figure.
November 9, 2009 1:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Best comment ever!
November 9, 2009 11:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
A majority of people may be personally opposed to abortion. It's a lot less clear that a majority would deny the right to others. My elderly Catholic mother would swear she is pro-life but I caught her one day saying it should be the mother's decision. She really doesn't understand that this makes her pro-choice.
November 9, 2009 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink