Obama Restates His Commitment to Abortion Rights

Planned Parenthood sells "I had an abortion" t-shirts so women can feel proud of their contributions to society.

I wasn't going to write anything today. I had a lot of things to do, people to see, money to make. But then I read a "news" article from the Associated Press entitled "Obama restates his commitment to abortion rights." I wondered when abortion became a right in this country (I guess I thought the issue was about privacy or "freedom of choice" or women's equality). I also wondered whatever happened to the inalienable right of life delineated in the Declaration of Independence.

The AP article says:

President Barack Obama renewed his commitment to abortions rights on Thursday, saying the nation needs to find common ground in the contentious abortion debate so "our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons."

OK, who's not telling the truth here? The AP article talks about abortion rights, but Obama is referring to equality for women? Which one is it? Or does equality for women merely boil down to the ability to have abortions?

"On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work and to have no limits on their dreams," Obama said. "That is what I want for women everywhere."

Sounds good so far. Looks like Obama and I want the same things.

"While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion and support women and families in the choices they make," Obama said. "To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information and preventative services."

I like the ideas in the first sentence: prevention of unintended pregnancies, reduce the need (is this a human need or a want?) for abortion, and support women and families. I do not agree with the methods:

Expanding access to affordable contraception - How much easier can it be than to walk into any corner drug store and buy a pack of condoms? They're pretty inexpensive. What does Obama mean by expanding access or affordable contraception? Are we all going to get government subsidies to be able to get free condoms? Or is Obama stating that affordable contraception means cheap abortions?

Accurate health information - Does this include educating women about the physical and psychological dangers of abortion? Or does Obama mean that doctors need to shape up and diagnose illnesses more accurately? Or maybe Obama means that somewhere in the US there are places such as Planned Parenthood that are simply not giving out accurate health information? I suspect none of the above. So what does Obama have in mind?

Preventative services - I'll tell it like it is. Obama means abortion here. Prevention in this context doesn't mean abstinance. He's already spoken about contraception. What else does he mean? In frank terms: Prevention in Obama's mind means abortion.

The AP analysis at the end is telling:

American public opinion about abortion has been fairly stable in recent decades, with polls almost always finding a narrow majority saying the procedure should be legal in all or most cases.

Public opinion is stable. About half the people in the US favor unrestricted abortions. About half the people in the US are against abortion.

What I worry about is the half of the people in the US who have been brainwashed by the abortion arguments into ignoring a simple, fundamental right in the US based on one of its founding documents.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.

God gave us (men and women, that is no longer a question) certain inalienable rights including the right to life. Governments are instituted to secure these rights. We cannot remove the right to life by removing God anymore than government can cease to secure the right to life by legalizing abortion.