I think we have the current administration to thank for this shift-- check out Gallup's May 2009 poll that shows MORE Americans are Pro-Life. Just another reason that we need to leave this decision up to the people and put it to a vote in the STATES to decide and not leave it to the courts.
Definitely check it out-- here is a little slice of the report:
Bottom Line
"With the first pro-choice president in eight years already making changes to the nation's policies on funding abortion overseas, expressing his support for the Freedom of Choice Act, and moving toward rescinding federal job protections for medical workers who refuse to participate in abortion procedures, Americans -- and, in particular, Republicans -- seem to be taking a step back from the pro-choice position. However, the retreat is evident among political moderates as well as conservatives.
It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public's understanding of what it means to be "pro-choice" slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction."
This is an interesting change, and I think this might be one of the more interesting observations:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/opinion/12douthat.html?_r=1
I don't know if this indicates a pro-life mandate, but I hope it leads to more of a dialogue. Looking at some of the breakdowns of the polls, it seems like even the pro-lifers have some leeway, in terms of rape an incest restrictions. An older survey revealed that even those who identified themselves as pro-choice favored limits on late-term abortions (I'm one of them).
I don't think the Democratic position is as abhorrent as radical pro-lifers think:
Abortion procedures should be safe, legal, and rare.
I think there are a lot of shared hopes for both sides of this debate, but the contention is how to treat those who do get abortions.
The pro-life approach is to drive it underground. I hate to tell you, but no statute can drive it to zero. The choice option is to attempt to prevent it, but offer a safe option. I think both sides demonize each other entirely too much and would get closer to their goals by having an open dialogue and finding compromise, rather than clinging to extreme differences.