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James Martin, S.J.June 30, 2009

Here's Dan Gilgoff at US News & World Report with a look at Obama's planned rollout of a "common ground" approach to "reproductive health issues," like abortion and contraception.  Stay tuned.

"As the White House readies its plan for finding "common ground" on reproductive health issues and reducing the need for abortion, a major debate has emerged over how to package the plan's two major components: preventing unwanted pregnancies and reducing the need for abortion.

Many abortion rights advocates and some Democrats who want to dial down the culture wars want the White House to package the two parts of the plan together, as a single piece of legislation. The plan would seek to reduce unwanted pregnancies by funding comprehensive sex education and contraception and to reduce the need for abortion by bolstering federal support for pregnant women. Supporters of the approach say it would force senators and members of Congress on both sides of the abortion battle to compromise their traditional positions, creating true common ground that mirrors what President Obama has called for.

But more conservative religious groups working with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships say they would be forced to oppose such a plan—even though they support the abortion reduction part—because they oppose federal dollars for contraception and comprehensive sex education. This camp, which includes such formidable organizations as the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops and the Southern Baptist Convention, is pressuring the White House to decouple the two parts of the plan into separate bills. One bill would focus entirely on preventing unwanted pregnancy, while the other would focus on supporting pregnant women." --Gilgoff

Read the rest here.

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15 years 7 months ago
Unless he releases a plan which dramatically increases the child tax credit, it will be too little too late for many of the children being aborted this year because their parents can't add another child.  Helping teens have families, with both parents, while providing them enough aid to get the education or job training they need would also reduce abortion, although I doubt any of the President's advisors are that ambitious.
15 years 7 months ago
This is nonsense. The Democrats are simply repacking and relabeling programs they're pushing for *anyway.* Obama hasn't moved an inch. He won't even say the need to reduce "abortion" itself.  
15 years 7 months ago
In other words, Obama's idea of "common ground" with Catholics is subsidizing artificial contraception and  promoting promiscuity (which is what "comprehensive sex education" does), all the while loudly supporting legalized abortion.   What a great deal!

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