Barack Obama May Throw Bone to Pro-Lifers With Abortion "Reduction" Plank
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 25, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In an idea that is more symbolism over substance, a leading Democratic Party activist says he’s going to talk to Obama about adding language to the Democratic Party platform calling for the "reduction" of abortions. Yet the proposal wouldn’t call for any actual bills or efforts to limit abortions.
Rev. Jim Wallis, who hosted a Democratic candidates forum for CNN last year, says he plans to share the idea with Obama and his campaign before the Democratic convention.
"Abortion reduction should be a central Democratic Party plank in this election," Wallis told ABC News. "I’ll just say that flat out."
"This is going to be a big Denver conversation," Wallis told the television station. "You don’t have to call for criminalizing anyone. You don’t have to take a different stance about a woman’s right to choose. But you begin with the need for reducing abortion dramatically."
The only problem is Wallis’ idea includes no actual ways to reduce abortions.
His proposed language includes no mention of the kinds of initiatives Obama has opposed — limiting taxpayer funding of abortions, allowing parental involvement, or banning late-term abortions.
There’s no mention of giving women information about abortion’s risks or alternatives, funding pregnancy centers, or limiting the dangerous abortion drug that is responsible for killing seven women in the U.S. and 14 worldwide.
Instead, Wallis wants language that promotes birth control and contraception efforts that Congress have pro-abortion groups have already spend billions on that don’t necessarily reduce the number of abortions.
Wallis told ABC News he’s already presented the idea to pro-abortion Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean and that he has the support of Rev. Tony Campolo, who sits on the platform committee.
He went public about the idea in response to comments from Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, who said Obama is misrepresenting his Christian views by supporting abortion.
Wallis said the so-called abortion reduction platform could help Democrats make inroads with pro-life Catholic and evangelical voters.
"Taking abortion seriously as a moral issue would help Democrats," he said. "There are literally millions of votes at stake."
For pro-life advocates who grasp the extremity of Obama’s pro-abortion views, there are millions of lives at stake and throwing a bone to them probably won’t yield too many votes.
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