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This Morning's White House Call on Abortion Reduction: After-Action Report

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soundtracks of AL 6:38AM July 17, 2009

Women of color disproportionately have unintended pregnancies that may end in abortion because of poverty, health care disparities, religion, disabilities, age, geography and a host of other reasons. We are pleased that President Obama's Administration joins us in the call for reducing the need for abortion. This wording is very important because campaigns to reduce abortions without reducing the unintended pregnancies create bad consequences and fewer options for women. Many women make the decision whether to become a parent or not based on many factors such as lack of health care, education, affordable child care and housing, violence in their lives, family support, jobs, etc. These are Reproductive Justice issues that must be considered when discussing strategies for reducing the need for abortion. I represent the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, a coalition of 80+ women of color and allied organizations working for reproductive justice for women of color, poor women, incarcerated women, and all who experience human rights violations that complicate decisions about if and when to parent. Speaking personally, I also was a teen parent -- through incest -- who decided to keep and raise my child, but did not want to give my child up for adoption. Those who blithely assume adoption is an option may not be sensitive to the complicated issues women confront when faced with an unintended pregnancy. It is important that women have the social supports they need in order to decide to parent. The saddest thing in the world is a woman who has an abortion who really wanted the child. We have to help women who want to become parents do so, just as we have to help women who do not want to continue pregnancies obtain safe, legal and affordable abortion services.

Loretta Ross of GA 2:23PM April 06, 2009

I am Pro-life; however I do understand that for some women, and some situation, a woman may feel that there is no other way. My heart goes out to those women. But instead of teacher or kindergardeners, our babies about BIRTH CONTROL; why don't we help our children to understand the outcome of sex. The things that could hapen as a result of having sex. Sex is not a bad thing, it is completely natural and it is a beautiful thing that God has given us to reproduce and populate the world. Children and/or teenagers should be taught to take responsibility for their actions. If they are mature and grown enough to lay down with the oposite sex they shoud be able to handle raising a child. Or giving that child to adoptive parents that want so badly to have a baby. There is always a CHOICE; but murder is not one of them!

Amanda of AL 3:51PM April 05, 2009

I'm hearing it was only Democrats for Life (Though Catholic Health was supposedly on the call their recent actions make me doubt their pro-life credentials.)

Tom of DC 1:54PM April 03, 2009

Someone should tell the National Right to Life Committee and its state affiliates to quit referring to President Obama as "the most pro-abortion President in our nation's history" in their fundraising calls and letters.

John of IA 1:53PM April 03, 2009

Start teaching kids about birth control in kindergarten. In this video, he says it's the right thing to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Z5KZ42GXw

Parallax View of UT 1:24PM April 03, 2009

"Barnes said that the White House was not going to try to change anybody's mind on abortion and that she knew people had long-held convictions on various sides of the debate"
I think that's for the best. Pro-choice advocates like myself are not going to convince ultra-conservative Christians that women should have the right to choose, and ultra-conservative Christians are not going to convince pro-choice advocates that women should not have the right to choose.
Roe vs. Wade is never going to be overturned. Why not accept that and look instead for the next best option?
I think what makes this so difficult for those who are aggressively opposed to abortion is that they have no choice but to accept the fact that they can't control women (and society) the way they want to. For those individuals, is this really about abortion or "saving the life of an unborn child" or is this really about the rage you feel as a result of not being able to control others?
I once read that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time. It seems to me that those who are stridently opposed to abortion should stop spinning their wheels, accept the fact that they can't have what it is they want (making abortion illegal in our country) and seek out a solution that will at least get them the next best thing.
IF in fact this is about "saving the lives of unborn children," then the next best thing would be to work to reduce the number of abortions in our country. However, if opposition to abortion isn't really about "saving the lives of unborn children" and is really about controlling others, specifically women, then there really is no second-best option and the raging anti-choice rhetoric will continue with no positive results.

Darcy Grant of IN 1:22PM April 03, 2009

We need abstinence promoted by men to and for other men's benefit, we need condoms, we need "Plan B", we need vasectomies, and we need marriage (including gay marriage).

Muser of NM 12:13PM April 03, 2009