Constitutional Law
Law Profs Among Abortion Opponents Changing Focus
Posted Nov 18, 2008 1:26 PM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Many abortion opponents are changing their tactics, switching their focus from overturning Roe v. Wade to developing social programs that will support pregnant women.
Some anti-abortion activists are joining with those who favor abortion rights to back legislation that would provide pregnant women with health care and money for education, the Washington Post reports. The aim is to discourage women from seeking abortions.
Among those pushing the new strategy are Pepperdine University law professor Douglas Kmiec and former Duquesne University law dean Nicholas Cafardi, according to the story.
The switch in emphasis comes with the realization that Roe v. Wade is unlikely to be overturned during an Obama administration. But not all abortion opponents agree with the new focus, the story says. “It's a sellout, as far as we are concerned," said Joe Scheidler, founder of the Pro-Life Action League.
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Comments
Steve Ertelt
Nov 18, 2008 4:03 PM CST
These folks are disingenuous about saying they oppose abortion and then opposing the very pro-life laws that are reducing abortions.
As the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a former Planned Parenthood affiliate, noted in January, the number of abortions is at historic lows.
And research from University of Alabama professor Dr. Michael New shows states that have passed the most pro-life laws to reduce abortions have seen the biggest abortion declines. (see http://www.lifenews.com/state3587.html )
The people and groups involved in the “pro-life, pro-Obama” effort say not enough has been done to provide help for pregnant women.
Yet, pro-life advocates have put together a network of over 3,500 crisis pregnancy centers that have been providing tangible pregnancy assistance to women for decades.
Kmiec and his colleagues appear to take a disingenuous position with regard to helping pregnant women because Obama will likely support a bill that could put some pregnancy centers out of business or place onerous restrictions on them.
Obama has no real plans to reduce abortions and these folks don’t either.
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Caroline
Nov 21, 2008 9:20 AM CST
It’s about damn time that the connection was made - you can’t push people to have children they can’t support without creating programs that provides the support for the mother and child. It’s just plain wrong, not “selling out.” 3,500 crisis pregnancy centers is not enough - and what happens once the pregnancy is over, and they have the child? Who is feeding the kid? Who is caring for him/her? If we as a society are going to make decisions for other people about such an important life decision, there had better be an awful lot of support to back those decisions.
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