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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VMHauser of UT 5:21PM June 12, 2009
VOBrien of MI 10:44AM June 10, 2009
Barbara Saunders of CA 1:32AM June 10, 2009