Pro-Abortion Group Challenges Bush on Abortions in State of the Union 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 2, 2005
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In what detractors are calling a hypocritical request, leading abortion advocacy group NARAL issued a challenge on Wednesday for President Bush to put forward proposals that reduce abortions.
Despite opposing pro-life legislation to do that, NARAL said Bush should answer a recent speech by possible 2008 presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton in which she called for "common ground" to reduce abortions.
"We hope the President uses this speech to establish a different tone for his second administration," NARAL president Nancy Keenan said.
Keenan challenged Bush to back four proposals that would "reduce the need for abortion."
One would increase federal funding for Title X, the nation’s family planning program. However, pro-life advocates have long opposed the funds because they go to abortion businesses such as Planned Parenthood.
Another NARAL idea for Bush is to back legislation that would require health care insurance plans to cover birth control.
Pro-life groups oppose the bill because it would increase rates while funding morning after pills, which sometimes cause abortions, and could lead to mandating insurance coverage for the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug.
The pro-abortion group wants Bush to ask the FDA to approve the morning-after pill for over the counter sales status saying it "could cut the rate of unintended pregnancy — and the need for abortion — by as much as half."
However, a study conducted by researchers at the University of California at San Francisco, that found increased access to the "morning after" pill did not lower pregnancy rates because half of the women did not use the pills.
The study, co-authored by a Planned Parenthood medical director, showed the abortion rate was unaffected and women contracted sexually transmitted diseases at the same rates.
NARAL also wants President Bush’s State of the Union address to reject abstinence only education because the "programs don’t work."
Yet, during the speech NARAL applauded, Clinton praised groups which have run abstinence campaigns for teenagers.
