After Notre Dame, Antiabortion Groups Sharpen Obama Criticism
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
After President Obama devoted much of his Notre Dame speech to the possibility of finding common ground in the abortion debate, abortion-rights foes are sharpening their "where's the beef?" critique of the president. When it comes to abortion reduction and working with the antiabortion movement, they say that the president is all talk and that his policies belie his statements.
"The most important thing to note is how he continues to claim abortion reduction as a goal when none of his policies support that," says Deal Hudson, who directed Catholic outreach for George W. Bush's presidential campaigns and who is influential in antiabortion circles. "That's just him being entirely disingenuous. The man parades as a moderate and is treated by supporters as a moderate, and he has a moderate tone and style. But his policies are pro-abortion to the extreme."
In an E-mail to reporters this morning, the Susan B. Anthony List, an antiabortion group, proclaimed in the subject line that "Obama's Remarks Don't Match His Policies."
"[I]n working and advocating to fully fund abortions, the president undermines his own purported goal of reducing the 'need' for abortion," said the group's president, Marjorie Dannenfelser. "True common ground exists. [Obama] is just not standing on it."
Hudson alleges that Obama administration policies like lifting the ban on federal funding for abortion providers abroad and increasing federal funds for family planning providers are leading to a surge in abortions, though hard numbers on the matter aren't yet available.
"The number of abortions that have already been encouraged by his policy decisions," Hudson says, "will never be equaled by any [abortion reduction] legislation currently being considered." As Obama continues to reach out to culturally conservative voters on abortion, look for antiabortion groups to ramp up this "it's all talk" campaign.
It's worth noting that the Roman Catholic Church has been less forthcoming with post-game criticism of Obama's Notre Dame appearance, even as dozens of American bishops publicly faulted the university for inviting the president. According to the Catholic News Service, the official Vatican newspaper was relatively bullish on Obama's appearance:
"The search for a common ground: This seems to be the path chosen by the president of the United States, Barack Obama, in facing the delicate question of abortion," the newspaper said.
It said Obama had set aside the "strident tone" of the 2008 political campaign on the abortion issue....
"Yesterday, too, as could have been predicted, there were protests. But from the podium set up in the basketball arena, the president invited Americans of every faith and ideological conviction to 'work in common effort' to reduce the number of abortions," it said.
- Read more by Dan Gilgoff.
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Tags: abortion | Barack Obama | religion | University of Notre Dame
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Reader Comments
Abortion
Talk is cheap and apparently so is life. I have no tolerance
for dialog since 50 million babies have been slaughtered since
1972. How many more will die horrible deaths. I watch every day
the endless political hoopla on Fox and every other news show
that dares even tackle the issue. It's always point, counter
point while the fact of the matter is our babies and our
future is being swept away by genecide. And, by the way who
will be next? Do you think when they have killed eneough
babies, they won't move on to the elderly, sick, handicapped?
Hitler killed 3 million and U.S called out "monster".
Churches look the other way snug in their little religious
rugs and preaching candy coated sermons. Not one minister in
my town has taken a stand while these tiny souls die. I can't
even get a response to my calls about what is happening here
and everywhere. Cowards!
The church in Kansas who sheltered George Tiller should be
burned to the ground and the minister barred from the pulpit.
This is makes people sit up and take notice. It's the grim
reality forced on these kind of people that changes minds.
Not a Perfect World
To Donna of Texas,
In a perfect world, it is true there would be no abortion. there would also be no babies born in the world to conditions of poverty,brutality, Aids, drug and alcohold addiction. There would be loving parents and grandparents for every child, enough to eat and medical care to address each illness or injury. This is not a perfect world, and in fact, is so far from it as to not be worth the discussion. With your snide "Why make it rare?" remark, you imply that those who support choice applaud and promote abortion. That shows in and of itself the heartlessness and stubborn judgemental self-righteousness of the so called "Right to Life" faction.
Well I have news for you. You don't have a right to my life, nor my daughter's, nor my sisters. I will answer to God for any choices I have made, as we all must do someday.
The desire to lessen the frequency of abortion and the encouragement of young women to make better choices is a goal shared by all people of good will. No sane person celebrates the abortion procedure as a quick and easy ticket out of motherhood. But idf you think the shrill guilt throwing diatribes of the so called "Christian" conservatives will not create an equally shrill backlash, you are wrong. To stop abortions from happening we must educate young people to know what they are about. Too many have had no good role models. Too many have never had a serious conversation with their parents about this or any other topic. Threats of Hell and damnation won't get it. They need real reasons and solid motivation to be careful, to weigh their futures and their children's futures and to have self respect and respect for life.
When I read posts like so many of these, I fear the that Christianity has reentered the dark days of hounding and persecuting people over differing points of view.
hypocrisy
OK..so according to the Saul Alinksyed rhetoric of the far, far left and their manchurian candidate prez...we're supposed to save the planet but slay the babies? End the war but slay the babies. Save the animals, but slay the babies.
The Left is trying to make 'choice' the 'moral' side and 'pro-life' the extremist side in this debate. Do not let them get away with this. Libs cannot think outside of a paper bag full of propagandized talking points. Most abortions are not a result of rape and incest, most abortions are a form of birth control. Know your stats and fight back!
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