U.S. conservatives now waging their culture war skirmishes worldwide

[dajoki]

AP
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10853178/from/RL.1

U.S. conservatives step up overseas activities
Emboldened by ties to White House, groups compete with liberal rivals

Updated: 6:36 p.m. ET Jan. 14, 2006

NEW YORK - From Peru to the Philippines to Poland, U.S.-based conservative groups are increasingly engaged in abortion and family-planning debates overseas, emboldened by their ties with the Bush administration and eager to compete with more liberal rivals.

The result is that U.S. advocacy groups are now waging their culture war skirmishes worldwide as they try to influence other countries’ laws and wrangle over how U.S. aid money should be spent.

“We don’t expect to see the United Nations change, or Western Europe change,” said Joseph d’Agostino of the Population Research Institute, a Virginia-based anti-abortion group. “But with the Bush administration, pro-lifers feel there’s a real opportunity to stop the U.S. government from promoting abortion and sex education and population control in the Third World.”

<<snip>>

“NGOs have tremendous power, but for so many years they have been the playground for the leftist activists,” Crouse said. “It’s only been during the Bush administration that those of us from the right have had an opportunity to be on a level playing field.”

Liberal activists believe long-term trends, notably the empowerment of women through education and jobs, work in their favor throughout much of the world. But they acknowledge that U.S. conservatives have gained clout overseas — and intimidated some foreign advocacy groups — because of their influence on Bush administration policies.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. Aren't they satisfied dictating to us how to live?

Must they take their circus sideshow act overseas? :eyes:

[dajoki]

2. don't forget about spreading democracy also n/t

[silverweb]

3. WTF is wrong with these people!

A majority of the world's problems are directly related to out-of-control population growth, but these morons don't even pretend that their issue is just abortion anymore.

Now they're openly and unabashedly against sex education, birth control, and family planning altogether. What possible justification can they have for this criminal behavior?

:banghead:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. What's up with them?

More people to put the touch on. That's what's up.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Got to accelerate the education of women:

That's the single most reliable way to bring a country's birth rate down. Gotta do it before the fundies get too much power.

Once the women of a country have 1) options for societal prestige besides bearing a lot of children, 2) knowledge of birth control, and 3) the wherewithal to earn their own money so that they're not economically powerless against abusive men, the birth rate goes down. This is especially true in countries where boys and girls have equal opportunities for secondary education, and in all those countries, whether in Europe or East Asia, birthrates are falling below replacement level.

[Kerrytravelers]

6. So, they don't want sex education and population control ?

Ok, then I want them to pay for all the people that will come from no sex education and no population control. Not my tax dollars- theirs. Oh, wait. they don't want to pay taxes. :eyes:

[dajoki]

7. kick