doesn’t this belong in the press release feeder. It’s not an editorial or an article.

LV dem

Actually, it seems like a first-hand news account to me.

Personally, I fiund this disturbing to say the least, but I also believe sunlight is the best disinfectant. Every Pennsylvanian should be able to see this crowd in it’s true unvarnished form.

pd

This just demonstrates how pathetic political discourse is surrounding choice/life issues.

I don’t know, Ben, I think there are plenty of people who can discuss this issue rationally. The person who sent KP this story and the people in it can’t, but they are a small minority.

I doubt many people disagree with the premiss that children should be planned and wanted and that gives the family, whatever its form, the best chance to be a loving, cohesive unit. Further I think the vast majority of Americans believe we should minimize unwanted pregnancies by providing birth control before that happens. So I think there is a broad consensus from which to start, but unfortunately, a few people like those in this story, are determined not to allow that.

pd

Few people that I know oppose abortion rights more strongly than I do, but reading stories like these upset me. Unfortunately, some in the pro-life movement take to the streets in protest without offering any viable solutions for unplanned pregnancies. If one is going to oppose abortion rights, it is incumbent upon them to provide alternatives to abortion (adoption, counseling/financial assistance, etc.) The vast majority of abortions that take place in America occur for socio-economic reasons, but some in the pro-life movement are seemingly content with throwing around slogans like “Abortion is Murder!” and leaving things at that. I feel that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and needs to be rectified. In my opinion, a constitutional right to abortion does not exist. No person in America should be a victim of circumstance, especially the unborn. That said, women confronted with unplanned pregnancies certainly shouldn’t be stigmatized, and they should not be showered with empty sympathy. They need solutions, pure and simple. There are many terrific counseling services out there that offer financial help and prenatal care to those in need. Young women caught in terrible situations don’t need to be lectured with excessive rhetoric. In my opinion, the pro-life movement holds the high ground in this debate, and we need to start acting accordingly. Waving signs that depict aborted children doesn’t cut it.

Too often the pro-life movement ignores the fact that life does not end at birth. They talk a good game about abortion being murder, etc., but when confronted with government policies that are aimed to alieviate poverty for children and their families, they scoff at them and say that it is government waste.

Life does not end at the moment of birth. The pro-life movement ought to get on board and show the political community that it truly does support children instead of lecturing us on their moral fortitude. The progressive movement and the right to life movement should have a common thread in that respect, but instead the radical right constantly grabs a hold of them by clinging to that one issue, completely ignoring the relevance of the rest of the problem.

LV Dem

LV Dem raises a good point. I don’t think conservatives completely oppose aid to the underprivileged (especially children, who cannot fend for themselves), but instead question whether or not that aid will eventually lead to self-sufficiency. However, LV Dem’s point is well-taken that conservatives need to focus on what role government can play in fostering that self-sufficiency. Government, both federal and state, can play an “activist” role if that role aids in assisting those in need with education, “life skills”, and other necessities for basic survival. In other words, government should be in the business of assisting with educating and training those who, for whatever reason, don’t have or haven’t gotten the proper skills to make it through life. It certaintly should not be a blank check (i.e., pre-‘96 welfare reform), but conservatives cannot make the tragic mistake of turning their backs on the problem (which many don’t, but the few that do seem to drown out the rest). The left is not completely innocent here either. For whatever reason, many liberals oppose faith-based and private groups (basically any other agency besides a government-run outfit) assisting with this important effort. If a private group provides better training or more effective aid as opposed to a government agency, why not give them a seat at the table? I fully understand the “church-state” concerns, but government does not show religious favoritism simply by acknowleging that a church-run soup kitchen or training center does a tremendous job of serving the poor. The bottom line here is that LVDem was right – life does not end at the moment of birth, and as a conservative, I agree. However, the real question is what role government will play in fostering the development of those who need help. Are we going to truly step up to the plate and provide the skills and education necessary to make it in this world? I think we have no other choice.

I don’t oppose faith based action, in fact I sit on two boards for faith based agencies. The problem I have come to realize is that broad systematic problems such as poverty can only be patched by faith based agencies. Systematic problems of poverty such as deteriorating urban cores, insufficient employment opportunities, lack of quality education and crime (more of a symptom than a cause) cannot be solved without a larger effort. Thankfully, under Rendell the problems with deteriorating urban cores are being addressed, especially infrustructure. However, at every turn, efforts to improve our economy have been blocked by big businesses that fear competition from small businesses. Education reform has been met with stop gap approaches and ristrictive federal mandates. Every time Pennsylvania has the opportunity to be the leader in progressive policy that would reduce the symptom of abortion in our society, we are met with special interests such as developers, big businesses, local government officials who cling to the last bit of power that they can hold and even some of our own supporters like unions. Faith based action is good and should be encouraged. Heck we already fund faithbased activity (the one board I sit on is for a childcare center that is part of the mission of a group of local churches and receives Title XX funding… see also nursing homes that receive medicare). The banter about faith based initiatives was hollow at best and really did nothing but put out an image of compassion by the GOP. True compassion is not about charity or feeling good about helping somebody. True compassion is about recognizing that barriers to success exist to large parts of our population and actually doing something to correct the problems through social and political change.

LV dem