Dems Urged to Reach Out to Pro-Life Voters

[seriousstan]

WASHINGTON -- Democrats need to reach out to voters who oppose abortion rights and promote candidates who share that view, the head of the party said Friday.

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told a group of college Democrats that their party has to change its approach in the debate over abortion.

"I think we need to talk about this issue differently," said Dean. "The Republicans have painted us as a pro-abortion party. I don't know anybody in America who is pro-abortion."

Dean's approach echoed similar arguments advanced in recent months by former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-dean-abortion,0,3645289,print.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[ClassWarrior]

1. Amen. We all have more that unites us than divides us.

NGU.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Should be framed in terms of privacy

That what happens should be between the patient and their doctor--like end of life issues. I think looking at choice this way would make people realize we are really talking about being able to do things without the government butting in.

[clydefrand]

3. I think he is right on this one. I'm not pro-abortion, but it isn't

my business what another woman does with her own body. There are definite instances where women must choose abortion because their lives are at risk, ie, tubal pregnancy, high blood pressure, diabetes, in addition to carrying a deformed fetus that has no chance of survival. None of the pro-lifers ever mentions why some women must have abortions. They only talk about those of us who believe we must have the right to choose what is right for us.

[Demeter]

4. Don't Waste Your Time, Howard

Point 1: The anti-choice are fanatical. They cannot be swayed by reason, facts, anecdote, or example. There is no force on earth, save deadly force, that could even pretend to move them. And we don't do deadly force, unlike some people I could name.

Point 2: There is no way to split the difference on this issue. Just as you cannot be a little bit pregnant, you can't be a little bit pro-choice. You either are, or you aren't. Sitting there and splitting hairs: Carla is old enough, Sandy isn't, Marla's health will be too severely impacted, whereas Beth could easily give up for adoption, is not Constitutional. Equal protection means just that: equal.

Point 3: Choice is the smoke screen for an entire culture war. The culture that the anti-choice have declared war on is the American culture, some 400 years old, planted in the Reformation and the Enlightenment, and now under seige by the religious fascists. The culture war is a war on America! Go after that: it's virgin territory and grounded in fact. It is also all encompassing.

I came of age in 1973 when all women were emancipated from coerced pregnancy by society (theoretically, at least). I do not wish to see my daughters come of age in some Taliban-look-alike society.

YOu must make it clear that religious fanatics are anti-American, even if they are "Christian".

[Scout]

5. Bravissima!

:toast:

well said.

[Demeter]

7. Thank you, Scout!

[KittyWampus]

33. What? #1.There Are LOTS Of People Who Are Anti-Abortion But Support

allowing others to choose.

They just don't identify themselves as "Pro-Choice".

It's very simple.

#2. Some people don't believe in abortion as an option but DO believe in sex eductation, readily available birth control, prenatal care for mothers and post natal care for families.

In other words, they're consistent and agree with Democrats on just about every other issue.

Is there any part of that you don't understand?

[Demeter]

34. "Belief" is such a POINTLESS Word; you mean PERMIT!

And that's what makes all the difference in the world. If you don't permit women the freedom to choose, you aren't pro-choice or pro-woman, or pro-family or pro-anything. Coercion to a viewpoint is fascism, no matter how it's dressed up.

[Nite Owl]

6. I just wish we would

stop falling for their word choices, it let's them continue to frame the issue in their language. Pro life sounds so 'good', we aren't anti-life or pro abortion just pro women and pro life after birth as well as in the womb.

[moobu2]

8. They arent "pro life"

else they would be out protesting the war where 1,000's of innocent women and children have been killed or they'd be anti death penalty and they'd be demanding better health care for poor people etc...

They're more anti womens rights than anything, certainly not pro-life.

If reaching out to them means taking away a womans right to make her own medical desisions.... well fuk that.

[meow2u3]

30. We MUST question the Repukes' motives

We also have to ask why the Repunks want to overturn Roe.

Fact: Pro-life Democrats, as well as more moderate pro-lifers, are sincere in their compassion for the unborn, as well as compassionate for people already on this Earth.

Fact: Republican "pro-lifers" are putting on an act of compassion to hide their hostility towards women, especially women with power, as well as their pathological discomfort with sex. Repukes' true, underlying motive is to relegate women to the status of second-class citizen, domestic slave, and punching bag.

Fact: Anti-abortion Repukes are so fanatical they actually provoke Democrats into digging in their heels and stubbornly clinging to a pro-choice position, regardless of their true position on the issue.

Fact: Genuinely pro-life Democrats are sometimes motivated by an attitude of siding with the underdog: the kid not yet born. That's a noble motive if you ask me.

To sum up: Repukes want to end abortion for the wrong reasons because they have ulterior motives.

[lizzieforkerry]

9. I want to have a "pledge" for anti-choicers to sign

saying that when abortion is illegal they pledge to adopt an unwanted, hard to place child...crack babies etc. Then I want to act shocked when they won't sign it and ask them if they aren't willing to be part of the solution why do they want to cause the problem. These people are pro-birth, not pro-life. They don't care what happens to these babies once they are born, they even look down on unwed, underage or poor women that choose to have their children. I have heard so many times that the only reason poor woman have more children is to get more welfare money. As if the amount given comes anywhere near the amount needed to care for these children. Do they not think that Iraqi mothers don't cry over their blown up babies? I rant...sorry.

[ninkasi]

12. I like your idea of a pledge

The truth, though, is that the most ardent "pro-lifers" are simply the ones who want to control women. When I was going through some physical therapy a few years ago, there was a facility which, among many other medical services, also provided abortions.

There was a regular group of picketers every time I passed by, and the majority of them were older men. They all had sour faces, and mean, scrunched up features. They looked hateful. I used to wonder why they seemed so bitter, if they were "pro-life"...they looked as though they never enjoyed a second of living.

The ones I found the most offensive were the ones, men and women both, who had young children, 6, or 7, say, carrying signs and picketing, too.

I'd be willing to bet that not one of that group would have been willing to adopt a crack addicted baby, or a mixed race baby, or a baby born with a severe handicap. Sadly, they would also not be willing to have their taxes raised to help the women they felt they could force to bear an unwanted child with the costs of raising those children.

They would be unwilling to sign a pledge to adopt, just as the Young Republicans are unwilling to enlist in the military to fight a war they want others to die in.

[wookie294]

10. Why are pro-lifers not required to reach out to pro-choicers ?

Most Republicans are pro-choice.

Republican Pro-Choice Coalition, May 12, 2004

New National Poll: 73 percent of GOP Supports Choice

by Dale Wilcox

WASHINGTON - Today the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition changed its name to theRepublican Majority for Choice to reaffirm the reality that 73% of Republicans believe that the right to choose should be a woman's decision, not the government's. The Republican Majority for Choice is dedicated to unleashing the power of that majority in Congress and state capitols across the nation, and the RMC PAC will mobilize this majority at the ballot box.

LINK

[marions ghost]

11. this is the Repub group

we need to reach out to, not the rabid "pro-life" groups who are anything but.

[liberaliraqvet26]

13. they put up with the "pro lifers" so their corporate tax cutting..

whores can get elected. Thats why they are so quiet.

[JerseygirlCT]

15. Because if they're Republican and pro-choice, it's obviously

not an issue that they really give a damn about. They're pro-choice so long as they don't have to really think about it.

[DanCa]

14. Does that mean we can get communion in pro life churches?

I mean arnold and Guillian do, and friendship is a two way street.

[JerseygirlCT]

16. I have to agree with him

You know, it's very easy to castigate the anti-choice, anti-women fundies who are the big loud obnoxious voices on the issue. I don't care about them. They ARE pretty much hopeless.

But there are also a whole bunch of people who are uncertain or conflicted on the issue. They could easily meet us at preventing unwanted pregnancies, providing for women who would like to carry the pregnancy to term but have financial concerns, or otherwise actually working to make abortions less necessary. I DO think we can reach them.

[me b zola]

26. Then lets reach them on issues that effect their daily lives

such as health care, education, the economy etc..

If they are not lunatic fundies and they are "reachable", let's use reason to attract them, and not play into all of the stereotypes that they *may* have about a pro-choice stance. Afterall, it is one thing to believe that you would never have an abortion, it is quite another to impose your(not you) view into your medical care.

[JerseygirlCT]

31. Absolutely, but

if they are opposed to abortion, then doesn't it also make sense to enjoin them to participate in action that serves the greater good while making abortion less necessary?

The hard-line anti-choice folks like to take intrusive, sometimes violent action and scream a whole lot. They're not necessarily attractive to a good-sized segment of people uncomfortable with abortion. Those people can be persuaded to put their convictions to good use by working with us to make abortion less necessary: better education, better contraception, better financial conditions.. it seems to me to be a win-win. Also then the people who are simply opposed to abortion can feel quite comfortable joining us politically. We needn't insist they *call* themselves "pro-choice" -- while we MUST continue to insist that this is an important, and PRIVATE medical decision to be made by the woman, not the gov't. I'd guess most people in this category are probably somewhat socially progressive in other ways. They probably have religious objections to abortion. So long as they don't have one, that shouldn't be an impediment, YKWIM?

[MGKrebs]

17. Pro-choice AUTOMATICALLY accepts those who choose

to not have an abortion. That's what "pro-CHOICE" means.

It is the anti-choicers who are trying to impose their will on the rest of us. If they would just go about their business and not have abortions, then we would be OK. THEY insert themselves into others lives. We are defending their right to choose differently than some of us might.

[Casper]

18. Has everyone forgotten what "choice" means?

choice: A number or variety from which to choose.

I know that the rabid christian right probably never come off their high horse about abortion. How is it that the moderate right and left have forgotten their third grade vocabulary? I am an avid pro-choice voter, but I would prefer a world in which fewer women would choose abortion. I would prefer a world in which sex/health education was just as important as high school football and good scores on the SAT. A world where Plan B (the morning after pill) was easily available. But even IF that were our world, abortion would still be needed for certain circumstances.

Pro-choice IS the big tent. Privacy, autonomy, and responsiblity are at the core of choice. I don't know how Dean and the Clintons would phrase this argument better. What are we supposed to be pro-choice/anti-abortion Democrats? Give me a freakin' break. If we have to forfeit choice to win elections, well, then what is the point?

I'm not suggesting that choice is the be-all, end-all issue, but it does represent the bigger issues inherent in this right/left battle.

choice: A number or variety from which to choose.

[DanCa]

19. welcome to du casper (nt)

[NNguyenMD]

20. if the Repubs can be this powerful with prominent pro-choice members

then I don't understand why we can't support decent candidates who are anti-choice but understand that this party isn't changing its position on the subject.

Look, if you're pro-labor, support raising the minimum wage, against reckless tax cuts the underfund vital public support programs, against wars based on lies, pro-affirmative action, want a clean environment, break us away from our dependency on oil, and want to fund renewable energy research, but are against abortion rights, you're still a good Democrat who just happens to disagree on ONE among MANY issues. You're still defending basic democratic principles.

Isn't Harry Reid against abortion rights? Well he's done a hell of a lot more for this party in the last few months than the Tom Daschle who is pro-choice but also happens to not mind rolling over to the Republican majority. I'll bet most of us would agree with Reid on at least 75% of the issues.

[marions ghost]

22. you can't separate reproductive rights

from womens' rights in general. Pro-choice is pro-woman. I agree with those who say it's the fundie framing that has turned pro-choice into "pro-abortion." That's what needs to change.

Harry Reid probably sees it narrowly--that it's all about reproducing rather than the totality of what it means to be a woman in a male-dominated world. We may very well be redefining 'Democratic Principles' for the 21st century, as they relate to half the population. There are many well-meaning people who don't make this connection. But I doubt Harry Reid would like his daughter to have a coat-hanger abortion. Legislation is not the way to go with this. In the future we will have much better forms of birth control and hopefully abortions will be an extremely rare necessity. I think we are headed that way eventually. Maybe then women will finally be free to make their own decisions about their own bodies.

At this moment in time, lest we forget, the world really doesn't need any more mouths to feed or children who are not wanted.

[TankLV]

23. Let's make it simple for you & the other concept challenged:

Pro-choice = CHOICE - it's up to the woman to CHOOSE, not me, not you, not anybody else but the woman.

Pro-choice is NOT pro-abortion - have one or dont' - it's YOUR choice.

Anti-abortion is just that - no abortions for YOU OR ME - THEY decide it FOR YOU!

PRO-CHOICE IS THE BIG TENT.

"pro-life" persons are already welcome in this tent - only if they don't FORCE THEIR VIEWS ON EVERYONE ELSE!

Get it now?

Or are you just being willfully stupid?

[NNguyenMD]

25. I think you're the one being willfully stupid, I didn't mention "pro-life"

once in my post. Clean your computer screen and/or glasses and take a closer look.

I was very careful with my language.

Also, if you took more time to read what I read carefully, I also said that the candidates should understand that the party woudl not change its position on the issue no matter what their opinion was.

[iamjoy]

21. He's Wrong And He's Right

I am very, very strongly Pro-Choice. We try to be tolerant of Pro-Lifers, but frankly, many of them scare us. They don't reach out to us because we think you can choose life, and they don't want it to be a choice. Unless the Democrats radically change the platform (which would lose several loyal activists) they are never going to get the hard core "Pro-Lifers."

Where Dean is right is we need to broaden our appeal and frame the issue diferently. Or, better yet, marginalize it as an issue. Politicians are great at changing the subject. When asked about abortion, say, "Every day 40 million Americans worry about what will happen if they get sick because they have no health insurance. I don't know too many Americans who spend every day worrying about whether or not they can get an abortion, or whether their neighbor is having one."

Make it a non-issue. I have only a hunch, but I think all these conflicting surveys on people wanting abortion legal or Roe overturned...well, I have to wonder if the truth is that most Americans don't give a shit about abortion and are tired of the debate. So instead of talking about a woman's right to choose or arguing when life begins, why not talk about things that are really a problem for most Americans?

[progressivebydesign]

24. Absolutely agree. Everyone has a right to their own values.

Sometimes we all get so caught up in political noise that we forget there is no "wrong" belief on these things, a belief cannot be right or wrong, truly, because that is the nature of belief. I don't hate pro-lifers, because that is what works for THEM, I do believe that tolerance on both sides is what is needed now. John Kerry was the most eloquent on this issue during the debates. He stated that his own beliefs tell him that abortion is a violation of his faith, but he will not legislate other people's beliefs and the rights of those that do not agree with him. Perhaps one day the anti-choice and the pro-choice people can get together and work toward a society where all kids are wanted and cared for properly, where people can earn a decent living to support their families.

[femrap]

27. As a doctor, Dean has to know what back alley abortions do

to women...is that what you want to see again? You want women to take off their shoes, head for the kitchen and be incubators?

Can the Democrats EVER get the FRAME right? EVER? The right wing fundies are PRO-BIRTH, PRO-ZYGOTE, PRO-FETUS, ANTI-CHOICE!!!!

Geez, am I a member of the stupidest party ever? I am so sick and tired of this shit....I fought for this in the '70's and now WE ARE GOING BACKWARD...same old fight... deja vu. Do you want to put Gays and Lesbians back in the closet, too?

It has gotten to the point that I am practically ashamed of this party...they are embarrassing how they are moving to the right...they make me sick cow-towing to the hypocritical Bible thumpers who wouldn't recognize Jesus if he came and washed their damn feet. PLEEEEEZ.

If the Dems keep it up, they will lose ALL the women....this SC nominee overturns Roe....there is blood on Dem Lite hands....

Just sickeningly cowardly....I seem to have to fight the dems as much as I have to fight the pugs....WTF?

[lumpy]

28. Abortion, the political football.

Sick and tired of this. We are all pro-life, well, except the people who have no problem being pro-war. Leave women and doctors alone, dammit.

[catzies]

29. Work together to make it obsolete, not ILLEGAL. Big difference.

We can all agree we'd rather not have them, but getting there means EDUCATION and ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVES for everyone who wants and needs them, just for starters.

How about we work on that, insteade of taking it away?

[pfitz59]

32. I agree; however,........

The same folks who are "Right to Life" are anti sex education! You will never get them to recognize the contrary nature of their beliefs. As posted earlier, these are cultural wars, which are getting hotter by the day! I fear our nation is headed for a huge shakeup! (IE: Tali-bornagain with NUKES!)

[Hobarticus]

36. You've hit it, square on the head...n/t

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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[lumpy]

37. Americans can never take claim

to be pro-lifers when they applaud and accept killing/bombing innocent people in the futile attempt to snag the criminals who perpetuate acts of mass murder. Killing innocent people because of the brutal actions of others is an act of murder, whether it is a suicide bombing or by missiles.

[hayu_lol]

38. We dont need the pro-birthers...

What we need are honest elections where voters can vote and be assured that their votes will be counted.

Howard is dead wrong on this particular stand.

[Name removed]

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