I Radio Heaven is, for the most part, apolitical, since there’s not a party or politician that comes close to representing me and my positions. (in fact, it wishes that a song could be president.) As i’m moving away from the conservatism of my youth towards a more progressive political ideology, i’ve followed the rise of Obama from positive voice of a new Democratic Party to potential (probable?) PotUS with curiousity, excitement, and yet trepidation. However, there are certain aspects of my upbringing that remain, like an overall pro-life stance (though, this one has grown to include all life, something that the Elephants aren’t always known for). I am not going to be a single-issue voter, but i am trying to decide how much weight to give to it.
Anyway, Michael Gerson of The Washington Post had an op-ed last April that listed some interesting positions of Obama.
“But Obama’s record on abortion is extreme. He opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion — a practice a fellow Democrat, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once called “too close to infanticide.” Obama strongly criticized the Supreme Court decision upholding the partial-birth ban. In the Illinois state Senate, he opposed a bill similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which prevents the killing of infants mistakenly left alive by abortion. And now Obama has oddly claimed that he would not want his daughters to be “punished with a baby” because of a crisis pregnancy — hardly a welcoming attitude toward new life.”
Now, the article doesn’t cite sources, so that’s one issue i have with it. Also, the IL bill that Obama opposed was “similar” to the B-AIPA; we have no idea what it really says. But, these positions are certainly more extreme than i, someone who would happily call a late-term abortion ban a great step in a right direction, am comfortable with. If these positions are true, it is something to think about.
ps: if anyone knows anything about reactions to Gerson’s piece (or, for that matter, how true these statements are), i’d love to follow up on it.
June 16, 2008 at 8:25 pm
As a clinical psychologist, I have never seen anything other than negative effects on the mental health of women who choose to have an abortion. Sometimes these effects are completely unconscious, and only uncovered after significant time in psychotherapy.
We need a president who will truly protect women by appointing judges to the supreme court who would, at a minimum, ban partial birth abortion.
I write more about the mental health effects of abortion on my blog.
http://thecountryshrink.com