The issues: (1) How about a reprise from Mr. Clinton on abortion being safe, legal & rare; & (2) Let's say Demo's for planned parenthood; GOP opposes.
Am I pro-choice? Sure, but after Nov. 2 that is no longer part of my message.
As we reach out to religious voters, we should quit arguing the legality of abortion, and rather shift the theme to abortion should be "safe, legal and rare." And just as we want to see fewer abortions, we want our children to learn good values -- at home, in school, at Sunday school and at church with their parents.
(Come on now, suck it up a little; the rules of engagement changed on Nov. 2.)
Good values, health care, jobs and sex education can reduce the number of abortion procedures, and who can be opposed to that.
The above "safe, legal and rare" was Mr. Clinton's formulation for abortion, and the incidence of abortion fell under President Bill Clinton and rose under President George W. Bush.
Excerpts from a current Newsweek article present another opportunity for Democrats to frame the issue rather than be on the defensive on an issue -- planned parenthood:
Not since Margaret Sanger’s crusade to legalize birth control in the 1920s has family planning come under such assault. Pharmacists around the country are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth-control pills, exercising their right to “refuse and refer” under the industry’s code of ethics. These self-styled refuseniks are so ardent they generally don’t offer a referral, and in small-town America there is often only one pharmacy in town anyway.
On Capitol Hill, conservative Republicans inserted a provision in the budget to extend conscience clauses throughout the health-care industry. Democrats cried foul, and GOP leaders pulled the measure for now. But 13 states are considering 22 pieces of similar legislation that would curtail access to family-planning services, including contraceptives.
Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt . . . is lobbying for legislation called “Putting Prevention First” that would promote family-planning programs. . . . Feldt is counting on the new Democratic leader, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, to carry the cause. Reid opposes abortion but is a strong supporter of family planning. He’s the ideal ally in Feldt’s view—“anti-choice and pro-contraception.”
[F]ormer president George H.W. Bush was [a friend] to Planned Parenthood. As a member of Congress from Texas, Bush sponsored the Public Services Act, which funded programs to promote birth control along with health exams for women and pregnancy tests. . . . The current President Bush in his first budget took contraceptive coverage away from federal employees. Congress put it back, but with bigger conservative majorities, Bush can continue to chip away at reproductive rights.
Bush [II] is using the regulatory powers of the Department of Health and Human Services to turn Title 10 of the Public Services Act his father championed away from family planning into an abstinence program. Traditional providers like Planned Parenthood get bypassed in favor of faith-based groups . . . .
As we reach out to religious voters, we should quit arguing the legality of abortion, and rather shift the theme to abortion should be "safe, legal and rare." And just as we want to see fewer abortions, we want our children to learn good values -- at home, in school, at Sunday school and at church with their parents.
(Come on now, suck it up a little; the rules of engagement changed on Nov. 2.)
Good values, health care, jobs and sex education can reduce the number of abortion procedures, and who can be opposed to that.
The above "safe, legal and rare" was Mr. Clinton's formulation for abortion, and the incidence of abortion fell under President Bill Clinton and rose under President George W. Bush.
Excerpts from a current Newsweek article present another opportunity for Democrats to frame the issue rather than be on the defensive on an issue -- planned parenthood:
Not since Margaret Sanger’s crusade to legalize birth control in the 1920s has family planning come under such assault. Pharmacists around the country are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth-control pills, exercising their right to “refuse and refer” under the industry’s code of ethics. These self-styled refuseniks are so ardent they generally don’t offer a referral, and in small-town America there is often only one pharmacy in town anyway.
On Capitol Hill, conservative Republicans inserted a provision in the budget to extend conscience clauses throughout the health-care industry. Democrats cried foul, and GOP leaders pulled the measure for now. But 13 states are considering 22 pieces of similar legislation that would curtail access to family-planning services, including contraceptives.
Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt . . . is lobbying for legislation called “Putting Prevention First” that would promote family-planning programs. . . . Feldt is counting on the new Democratic leader, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, to carry the cause. Reid opposes abortion but is a strong supporter of family planning. He’s the ideal ally in Feldt’s view—“anti-choice and pro-contraception.”
[F]ormer president George H.W. Bush was [a friend] to Planned Parenthood. As a member of Congress from Texas, Bush sponsored the Public Services Act, which funded programs to promote birth control along with health exams for women and pregnancy tests. . . . The current President Bush in his first budget took contraceptive coverage away from federal employees. Congress put it back, but with bigger conservative majorities, Bush can continue to chip away at reproductive rights.
Bush [II] is using the regulatory powers of the Department of Health and Human Services to turn Title 10 of the Public Services Act his father championed away from family planning into an abstinence program. Traditional providers like Planned Parenthood get bypassed in favor of faith-based groups . . . .
posted by Sid Cottingham | 6:31 PM
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