Obama's True Colors: Appointee Opposes Abortion and Birth Control
By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
Women's rights stalwart Frances Kissling questions why President Obama has appointed a woman as head of the Department Health and Humans Services's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives who, according to Kissling, believes abortion should be illegal and opposes birth control--even for married couples. Assuming Ms. Kissling is correct about Alexia Kelley's views, it doesn't surprise me at all. Mr. Obama, aka, "I try to make everyone happy and in the process make no one happy," is merely feeling comfortable enough to show his true self, rather than staying true to promises he made to his supporters prior to being elected:
The HHS budget for family-planning services grants to faith-based and community groups is more than $20 million. Can pro-family-planning religious groups expect a fair deal from a director who believes that birth control, even for married couples, is immoral? Will programs that provide contraception to adolescents get funded? Obama's Feb. 5 Executive Order establishing a new Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships gave the office and its 11 satellites in federal agencies a policy role on the issues that are at the core of HHS's sexual and reproductive health work: addressing teen pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion.
Expect to see more of the same as his administration progresses. And as the evidence mounts that winning re-election is more important to this president than anything else, his supporters should re-examine their votes in 2012.
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Tags: abortion | Barack Obama | birth control
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Reader Comments
Pro choice Catholics should be thanking Kelley, not lambasting her
Why would she take a position with the Obama Administration or with Secretary Sebelius (who she adamantly defended in her nomination process) if she was opposed to their policy positions? Obama and Sebelius are both pro choice. Your conclusion is absolutely illogical. Kelley is a longtime progressive, serving in both the Kerry campaign and as a volunteer in the Obama campaign. Why would she commit herself to working for pro choice candidates and be in a pro choice party if she was anti abortion?
You should be thanking her for taking the divisive abortion issue OFF the table for Catholic voters and for the fact that Obama is choosing the next Supreme Court justice NOT John McCain.
This is ridiculous
That Alexia Kelley would be the target of attacks by fellow progressive organizations is absurd and can only suggest that Kissling and her former organization are out to sabotage the common ground appoach to the abortion issue, as they've tried to do in the past. Kissling and CFC are threatened by this approach because it will serve to further marginalize their already ineffective efforts. Alexia Kelley's common ground approach to life issues and the bredth of her experience on a variety of social justice issues, makes her the perfect appointment for this position. Her former organization, Catholics in Alliance is a social justice organization and has not taken a public position on contraception or birth control because its not an issue they work on.
there is no "paradox"
"If they believe there is nothing inherently wrong with seeking an abortion, why would one have any interest in reducing the incidence rate?"
Your question reflects poor logic: Most people would agree that we want to reduce the incidence of, say, back surgery, not because we believe "seeking back surgery" is "wrong" but because such medical procedures in general are costly solutions to problems that would better be prevented beforehand.
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