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Nickdfresh
03-08-2005, 09:40 PM
The Case for Compromise on Abortion
How the pro-choice side is wielding a new principle that's tough to argue with
By ANDREW SULLIVAN


Mar. 7, 2005
Something very unusual is happening to some Democrats and pro-choice abortion activists. They're getting smarter about their strategy. For years, they've harped on and on about a woman's right to choose, while failing to capture in any meaningful way the moral qualms so many of us have about abortion itself. So they often seemed strident, ideological and morally obtuse. They talked about abortion as if it were as morally trivial as a tooth extraction--not a profound moral choice that no woman would ever want to make if she could avoid it.

But that obtuseness seems--finally and mercifully--to be changing. Senator Hillary Clinton led the way in a recent speech to abortion-rights activists. She said something so obvious and so right it's amazing it has taken this long for it to be uttered: whatever side you're on in the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate, we surely all want to lower the number of abortions. Whether you believe that an abortion is a difficult medical procedure for a woman or whether, like me, you believe that all abortions are an immoral taking of human life, we can all agree on a third principle: we would be better off with fewer of them. And the happy truth is, abortions have been declining in numbers. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control, since 1990 the number of reported legal abortions dropped from 1.4 million a year to 853,000 in 2001. The number of abortions for every 1,000 live births dropped from 344 to 246.

How did this happen? No one is quite sure. It could be related to less access to abortion providers, but more likely it is a function of declining teenage pregnancies, more widespread use of contraception, abstinence programs and cultural shifts toward sexual restraint among young women. None of these strategies separately is a panacea, but each has a part to play. So what's the new pro-choice line? Let's keep up the progress. Let's defend the right to an abortion while doing all we can to ensure that fewer and fewer women exercise it. Leave the contentious issue of Roe v. Wade for one minute, quit the ideological bickering about when life begins for a while, take down the barricades, and craft a strategy that assumes abortion will be legal for the foreseeable future, but try to reduce it.

Both sides have something to contribute. Sure, we should fund abstinence programs, as many pro-lifers argue. They can work for some women. But so too does expanded access to contraception. The pro-life Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, has a bill called the Prevention First Act that would expand access to birth control. Or you can focus on expanding adoption as an alternative to abortion (which means adoption by gays as well as straights). NARAL Pro-Choice America, formerly known as the National Abortion Rights Action League, actually took out an ad in the conservative Weekly Standard last month, appealing to pro-life groups to join in the antiabortion crusade--not by making it illegal but by increasing access to contraception.

What's the downside? I cannot see any. Both sides can still fight to keep abortion legal or illegal. But both can also work hard to reduce the moral and human toll of abortion itself. Why shouldn't a future Democratic candidate commit to an actual goal of reducing abortions nationally by, say, one-fifth in a four-year term? Alas, the pro-life side is leery. A key part of their coalition is made up of conservative Catholics who oppose any kind of birth-control devices; others are hostile to any adoption rights for gay couples. Still others may fear that if the number of abortions drops significantly, their argument for making it completely illegal may become less salient.

But none of those arguments makes sense on its own terms. If abortion really is the evil that pro-lifers believe it is, they should stop at nothing to reduce its prevalence--now. Is it really better that someone should have an abortion rather than be on the pill? Is it really preferable for an unborn life to be snuffed out than to allow him to have loving gay parents? Those are the questions that pro-choicers should be posing to pro-lifers. Saving human life is the priority. Why are you so reluctant to do it? Call this position the pro-choice, pro-life compromise. If Democrats want to regain credibility on moral issues, it's a great way to start. And if Republicans want to prevent abortions rather than use the issue as a political tool, they can get on board. We have nothing to lose but trauma and pain and politics and death. And we have something far more precious to gain: life itself. •

Time (http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1032342,00.html)

Seshmeister
03-08-2005, 09:53 PM
It's only a big issue in the States.

As I said before anyone that wants an abortion isn't a fit parent so shouldn't be in the gene pool.

It's ok to kill Iraqi kids for the greater good but not to terminate fetuses of people who have proved already that they aren't up to it?

FORD
03-08-2005, 10:26 PM
Andrew "bareback" Sullivan preaching morality..... now that's entirely too much :rolleyes:

Cathedral
03-09-2005, 12:19 AM
Hey, I'm all for compromise if it reduces the rate of abortions.

Now i'm not going to go through my view on abortion rights again, i'll spare you all that.

But i firmly believe that abortions should not be the sole right of the mother, there should be rights to that fetus afforded to the fathers of those kids.

Just because the mother has no business raising kids doesn't mean the father is equal in that assumption.
Some guys make big mistakes when sleeping around and when Spermin Herman gets to thinking, bad things can happen and in a big way.

Personally, if the numbers continue to drop i'm a happy guy.
just not as happy as i could be of course.

I'm all for compromise as long as equal rights can apply.
exceptions being medical reasons, rape and/or incest.

I'll stop now before i piss off a woman who thinks i want to control her body because that is not what i want to do.
I just want legal valid input for the fathers, period.

FORD
03-09-2005, 01:00 AM
The answer to minimizing abortions on this planet is amazingly simple.

1) The Catholics, Mormons, and other repressed idiots get over their INSANE idea that birth control = murder. Uh, if life begins at conception, then let's make sure the conception doesn't happen. Get it?

2) Right wingers get over their opposition to sex education and teen access to contraception. Should abstinence be taught and encouraged? Absolutely! But let's also be realistic and admit that it ain't gonna work 100% of the time. When it comes right down to it, what's your choice? A kid who's fucking responsibly, a kid who's pregnant, or a kid with herpes, HIV, or whatever. Of course it's easy to say "none of the above", but not so easy to make that a reality without some seriously repressive measures (chastity belts, deadbolts on the bedroom door, or whatever)

3) Convicted of rape or incest? Say good by to your dick. And if you rape a child - go to general population of the prison and let the convicts handle the rest.

Do these three things and eventually the only abortions on this planet will be the rare occasions where the mother's life is in jeapordy.

Cathedral
03-09-2005, 01:12 AM
100% Amen, Broham!

FORD
03-09-2005, 02:03 AM
Now if I only had $200 million to burn, I'd run for President....

BigBadBrian
03-09-2005, 08:13 AM
Originally posted by FORD

3) Convicted of rape or incest? Say good by to your dick. And if you rape a child - go to general population of the prison and let the convicts handle the rest.



Run that on the platform of your next Democratic Presidential candidate. :rolleyes:

Cathedral
03-09-2005, 09:50 AM
Originally posted by FORD
Now if I only had $200 million to burn, I'd run for President....

I'd be willing to contribute to the campaign, as long as you offered me a job in the new Admin.
I think a person who installs their own checks and balances in their organization would benefit the people much more efficiantly as opposed to being on a power grab where the opposition is rendered ineffective.

I'm not a "Yes" man, I am a "Maybe, but you could also consider this" man. :)

With me on your side i would guarentee your message would be heard in the Red States. ;)
And nobody would be offended by anything i do.

DrMaddVibe
03-10-2005, 07:03 AM
My take on abortion...let them have all of them that they want.

Let them have same-sex marriages too!

In less than 3 generations time there won't be a Democratic party, hell there won't be a liberal left in the US!

kentuckyklira
03-10-2005, 07:14 AM
Originally posted by Seshmeister
It's only a big issue in the States.

As I said before anyone that wants an abortion isn't a fit parent so shouldn't be in the gene pool.

It's ok to kill Iraqi kids for the greater good but not to terminate fetuses of people who have proved already that they aren't up to it? Don´t forget, god told Bush to order the slaughter of Iraqi kids!

Warham
03-10-2005, 07:33 AM
No, God didn't tell Bush that.

Nickdfresh
03-10-2005, 09:16 AM
Originally posted by FORD
Andrew "bareback" Sullivan preaching morality..... now that's entirely too much :rolleyes:

Well he'll NEVER get any girls pregnant! So he has a low risk of contributing to the abortion problem.;)

Nickdfresh
03-10-2005, 09:18 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
My take on abortion...let them have all of them that they want.

Let them have same-sex marriages too!

In less than 3 generations time there won't be a Democratic party, hell there won't be a liberal left in the US!

Whose them? And your statements have been said before in the 50's, by McCarthyists.

FORD
03-10-2005, 10:39 AM
Originally posted by DrMaddVibe
My take on abortion...let them have all of them that they want.

Let them have same-sex marriages too!

In less than 3 generations time there won't be a Democratic party, hell there won't be a liberal left in the US!

Now Assvibe, I realize you were trying to be funny, but your generalization of abortion and homosexuality as "liberal" things is completely false.

George Bush Jr himself paid for an abortion in the early 70's, and since Junior is never in the same room with Democrats for very long, we have to assume the woman he was with (not Pickles BTW) was also a Republican.

And as for gay Republicans, there's Mary Cheney, Matt Drudge, JimmyJeff GannonGuckert, David Drier, Lindsey Graham, Mush Limpdick, Scotty McLellan , and the author of this column Andrew Sullivan, just to name a few.

So by your own logic, the Republican party will be out of existence in about three generations too.

Guess it might be time to vote Green after all :)

Cathedral
03-10-2005, 11:16 AM
Originally posted by FORD

Guess it might be time to vote Green after all :)

Now you're cookin with crisco. ;)

Abortion and Gay Marriage was never really a Left or Right issue, though millions have been mislead into believing that, myself included.

It is a faith issue and a faith issue only.
There are some Democrats that don't believe it is right to abort babies as well as those who don't agree with Gay Marriage.
The same can be said about some Republicans on these issues.

I have learned over the last couple of months that both sides use these wedge issues to get votes, and that game won't work with me anymore.

In fact, the more i learn from scripture the more i feel a need to snuff politicians all together.
It finally dawned on me that i'm not comfortable voting for people who don't share my values because both sides of the isle pretty much let me down in that area.
I know i'll never find someone that agrees with me 100%, but i am no longer comfortable choosing between the lesser of two evils because evil is still evil in my opinion.

I'll follow the laws of the land and pay my taxes, but i refuse to enable these people with my vote as i have done everytime i have voted. This frame of mind may explain why so many citizens have remained silent in elections.
The last week has been an eye opener by visiting with my mother and her husband.
They have been on this kick praising the war in Iraq and what Bush has claimed as his mandate.
This got me thinking that maybe there is a serious flaw in christians who support something that results in so much death.

From the tele-evangelists point of view, they accept it as prophecy coming to pass, but i have doubts that this frame of mind is something a christian should be engaged in.

steve
03-10-2005, 11:35 AM
Personally, I would change the rules to allow abortions until age 18 (as in the age of the fetus)

DrMaddVibe
03-10-2005, 12:21 PM
LOL!

Nickdfresh
03-10-2005, 01:41 PM
Originally posted by LoungeMachine
February 9, 2005 · A reporter for the conservative news site TalonNews.com resigns. The reporter, who went by the pseudonym Jeff Gannon, drew critical attention at President Bush's Jan. 26 press conference when he referred in question to Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality" on the issue of retooling Social Security.

Liberal bloggers have disclosed that Gannon, who has little previous journalism experience, was easily granted a coveted White House press pass -- even though he did not work for a traditional or established news organization. He also routinely asked "softball" questions at press conferences. There are also allegations that Gannon is linked to Web sites with homoerotic themes....



Originally posted by FORD
This is a serious fuckup!

These fucking bastards claim they have made the country safer, yet they can't even keep a LIAR WITH A FAKE PRESS BADGE away from the so-called pResident?!?

What if "Gannon" had been a terrorist, instead of a closet fag with gay porn sites?

http://members.aol.com/jdg17/myhomepage/usmc-07.jpg

Hotmilitarystud.com
Militaryescorts.com
Militaryescortsm4m.com

Not that I'd mourn Junior for a half second, but it kinda sheds a whole new light on their claims of keeping the country safe, doesn't it.

Not to mention proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that Junior's "press conferences" are nothing more than staged FRAUDS.

Wonder if Mr James Dale Guckert a.k.a. "Gannon" has visited Junior at the Pig Ranch for "private interviews".

Now we know what the padded flight suit was really all about....:spank:

LOL! --Light on the substance are't we Dr.AssVibe?

DrMaddVibe
03-10-2005, 02:43 PM
Like I want to see your face?

Warham
03-10-2005, 02:47 PM
Originally posted by Cathedral
Now you're cookin with crisco. ;)

Abortion and Gay Marriage was never really a Left or Right issue, though millions have been mislead into believing that, myself included.

It is a faith issue and a faith issue only.
There are some Democrats that don't believe it is right to abort babies as well as those who don't agree with Gay Marriage.
The same can be said about some Republicans on these issues.

I have learned over the last couple of months that both sides use these wedge issues to get votes, and that game won't work with me anymore.

In fact, the more i learn from scripture the more i feel a need to snuff politicians all together.
It finally dawned on me that i'm not comfortable voting for people who don't share my values because both sides of the isle pretty much let me down in that area.
I know i'll never find someone that agrees with me 100%, but i am no longer comfortable choosing between the lesser of two evils because evil is still evil in my opinion.

I'll follow the laws of the land and pay my taxes, but i refuse to enable these people with my vote as i have done everytime i have voted. This frame of mind may explain why so many citizens have remained silent in elections.
The last week has been an eye opener by visiting with my mother and her husband.
They have been on this kick praising the war in Iraq and what Bush has claimed as his mandate.
This got me thinking that maybe there is a serious flaw in christians who support something that results in so much death.

From the tele-evangelists point of view, they accept it as prophecy coming to pass, but i have doubts that this frame of mind is something a christian should be engaged in.

Citizens remain silent in elections because most people who don't vote are younger than 30, and don't really care about politics. I know I didn't! I was 28 when I first voted. I could have voted in '92 and '96, but didn't. It was only around the time of the Clinton fiasco that my interest in politics began. I would assume my coming of age had something to do with it as well.

I believe God wants us to be active in our government. No government would have been put on this Earth if it weren't for God.

...

http://www.byfaith.co.uk/paulb11.htm

'Let every soul be subject to the higher authorities. For there is no authority but of God; the authorities that exist are ordained by God', Romans 13:1.

Totalitarian states have sought to exploit the Bible to demand unconditional submission from any Christian citizen who offered resistance to abusive authorities.

However the biblical call to submission is circumscribed by certain presuppositions.

We cannot compromise the Word of God under any circumstance.

We know as believers we are called to walk in love. We cannot submit to the State when the end result would harm others, because we are called to love.

We are encouraged not to conform to this world.

...


I do not believe the War in Iraq is compromising the faith.

McCarrens
03-10-2005, 03:46 PM
Ford, I haven't heard you talk about the president funding an abortion. What's that all about?

FORD
03-10-2005, 04:30 PM
Originally posted by McCarrens
Ford, I haven't heard you talk about the president funding an abortion. What's that all about?

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/images/2004/03/283037.jpg

Junior wasn't such a good boy in the early 70's. Granted, this is coming from Larry Flynt, but nobody ever seriously refuted the story either......


Bush 'Paid For Abortion' Says Larry Flynt
The Daily Telegraph - UK
2-18-4


President Bush faced an extraordinary claim last night that he once paid for a girl-friend to have an abortion.

The pro-life president arranged for the procedure in the early 1970s, according to porn publisher Larry Flynt.

The controversial publisher of Hustler magazine told the New York Daily News he will make the claims in a book coming out this summer.

'This story has got to come out,' said 61-year-old Flynt. 'There's a lot of hypocrisy in the White House about this whole abortion issue. I've talked to the woman's friends.

'I've tracked down the doctor who did the abortion, I tracked down the Bush people who arranged for the abortion I got the story nailed.'

But Flynt would not disclose if he plans to name the woman.

The allegation comes after pop star Moby raised Republican hackles last week when he told a New York gossip columnist that he thought Bush's enemies should cause some political mischief. He said: 'For example, you can go on all the pro-life chatrooms and say you're an outraged right-wing voter and that you know that George Bush drove an ex-girlfriend to an abortion clinic and paid for her to get an abortion.'

There was no hint that 38-year-old Moby believed his abortion suggestion.

The White House had no immediate comment on the claim.

Republican National Committee spokesman Yier Shi said: 'The Democrats will do anything in this election, judging by their campaign tactics, to smear without any evidence or background. This is just another one of those cases.'

The abortion claim is the first hint of serious scandal that has emerged to harm the president's re-election chances.

Having won his party's support and the endorsement of family and conservative groups with his strong pro-life stance, it is certain to come under close scrutiny as the election in November draws closer.

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp... 16439

Warham
03-10-2005, 04:41 PM
So you libs get your news from Hustler now?

Actually, it makes sense since that's what Clinton is.

DrMaddVibe
03-10-2005, 04:52 PM
Ford, you're supposed to look at the pictures in THAT magazine!

Nickdfresh
03-10-2005, 05:24 PM
Originally posted by Warham
So you libs get your news from Hustler now?

Actually, it makes sense since that's what Clinton is.

Flint did extensive background checks into the backgrounds of hypocritical Republicans that had had affairs in their past.

"Livingston makes Clinton look like Mary Poppins" - Larry Flint

As the vote came closer, Larry Flint of Hustler Magazine got ready to reveal dirt on Livingston. Turns out that Livingston has had several affairs while he was in Congress. How many? According to Flint, "Livingston makes Clinton look like Mary Poppins!" The Republicans have this problem because their sexual morality stance is a two edge sword. And in order to move the impeachment forward, Livingston had to fall on the sword and give his career to avoid the perception of hypocrisy.

So, the Republicans have lost two Speakers of the House as a result of the Lewinsky scandal. Hard to see where their winning this battle, but I'm sure they believe they are. Meanwhile, Clinton's approval rating has jumped up again and the day after the impeachment vote, Clinton has 72% of the public on his side as the Republicans have to somehow get 67 Senators to defy 72% of the voters, good luck!

But it's the Principle!

The morally superior Republicans claim they stand on principle. "We're doing what's right!", they say patting themselves on the back as they look down their noses at us lowly sinners. Republicans fail to see that there is some principle in doing the work of the people rather than wasting a lot of time trying to get a symbolic defeat. Republican principles are a mystery to us lowly sinners. Maybe they could explain it to me, but I doubt I'd understand.

Because of Republican principles, Bob Livingston had to resign for the House. Hard to make a stand against sexual sins if your leader has had sex with a dozen women. So Livingston had to go. Makes you wonder why the Republicans didn't know about his sexual past. Did Livingston lie about it? Or were they too stupid to ask Livingston if there were any skeletons in his closet? Livingston claims he didn't lie, so what does that tell you? I hope that the next time they elect a Speaker of the House that they ask him if he's had any affairs.

Even though Livingston was mortally wounded, he wanted to make his political death count for something. So he claimed that his resignation was an example that Clinton should follow and resigned claiming to be doing the honorable thing. However, the politics of personal destruction is limited to just the Republican party and Livingston failed to realize that his example of resignation applied only to Republicans. Democrats believe in forgiveness and redemption. Republicans believe in shame and punishment.

If Livingston set an example and resigned because of just sex, shouldn't all Republicans who have had affairs resign?
Livingston resigned because of sex only which refutes the notion that this isn't about sex. Livingston isn't claiming he lied under oath. So if Livingston set and example by resigning over sex, and that his resignation is an example of something. Seems he is setting the example that all Republicans who committed Adultery should resign. If that's the case, shouldn't Henry Hyde, Helen Chenoweth, and Dan Burton also resign? After all, what is the difference between Livingston and the other three Republicans other than when it happened?

Larry Flint claims to have dirt on 6 other Republicans including a "Big Fish" as he puts it. Following the Livingston example, one would expect that these other 6 Republicans will resign. After all, who's rules of resignation will they follow? Will they follow the Livingston example or the Clinton example? For instance, Missouri Senator Christopher Bond got divorced recently and it is rumored that infidelity was a factor. Bond has not yet confessed, but should it be revealed that he had affairs as the rumors suggest, what does he do? Does he agree with Clinton and reject the politics of personal destruction? Or does he fall on the sword for the good of his party? If all the Republican sinners came forward, confessed their affairs, and resigned from office, the Democrats would have the majority of both houses of Congress.

Remember that the "Livingston Rule" only applies to Republicans. Democrats accept sexual sins and believe that sex is private and a separate issue. We all know that Kennedy (all Kennedy's) have had affairs. So what? So if Larry Flint reveals that Barney Frank is gay, who cares! But the Republican's have this artificial sexual morality that's going to cost them a lot of seats as they apply their own standards to themselves.

Linky (http://www.perkel.com/politics/clinton/impeach.htm)

Warham
03-10-2005, 05:31 PM
Larry Flint, the Walter Cronkite of the 1990's.

FORD
03-10-2005, 08:56 PM
Originally posted by Warham
Larry Flint, the Walter Cronkite of the 1990's.

Livingston stepped down, didn't he? So it looks like Flynt got his facts correct then. And probably now too.

Seshmeister
03-10-2005, 09:22 PM
Originally posted by FORD

3) Convicted of rape or incest? Say good by to your dick. And if you rape a child - go to general population of the prison and let the convicts handle the rest.



Wow and people call you a liberal.

You obviously have more confidence in the infalibilty of the legal system than anyone that has studied it,

Cheers!

:gulp: