Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program on May 30 to tout her group’s new anti-Romney ad. But the conversation veered onto other interesting topics, as I wrote in my previous post.
One of those topics was the May 31 Gallup poll that found the number of Americans considering themselves “pro-choice” at a record low of 41%.
Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski broached that topic with Richards and got this eye-rolling response:
Brzezinski:Were you surprised to hear those numbers?
Richards:Actually, it’s a great question, Mika. It’s the language “pro-choice” and “pro-life” that I think – and actually I think that’s something, too, Joe, we could probably all agree on – is totally irrelevant in this country. Everyone in this country – the vast majority of people in this country – agree on one basic thing, which is: Abortion is a very personal issue. Women should be able to make decisions about their pregnancy without government getting involved. And I agree, I totally understand that this is an issue that people have very strong feelings about, but what I think we do agree as Americans is we don’t want the government making very important personal decisions for women and their families.
No, we do not all agree terminology is “irrelevant.” Of course Cecile would laugh at her own spin had the poll gone the other way.
And of course everyone in this country believes abortion is a “very personal issue.” Big whoop. What gobbledygook.
But whether self-labeling on the abortion issue is relevant or not, researcher Michael New at National Review Online made this observation:
Contrary to the mainstream-media spin, the results of the Gallup survey are important, for several reasons. The fact that a higher percentage of Americans identify as pro-life likely means more people are comfortable voting for pro-life candidates or supporting pro-life legislation. It also shows that the pro-life movement’s reputation is improving. At one point, many Americans who opposed abortion may have been uncomfortable describing themselves as “pro-life.” These people may have been reluctant to identify with a cause that was often marginalized. They also may have linked the mainstream pro-life movement to abortion-clinic violence. As such, the fact that more Americans are comfortable with the “pro-life” label is a reason for optimism.
LifeNews.com Note: Jill Stanek fought to stop “live birth abortions” after witnessing one as an RN at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. That led to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act legislation, signed by President Bush, that would ensure that proper medical care be given to unborn children who survive botched abortion attempts.
