Obama, The Pro-Life Choice

I was challenged by a friend and avid reader of The Garment File to convince her why a pro-life voter should vote for Barack Obama.

I will admit that, while I am a supporter of Obama, I had some initial doubts about my ability to defend his pro-choice voting record to a conservative pro-life voter. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it's not such a difficult proposition.

There are a few reasons that pro-life organizations always support republican candidates. The obvious answer is that republicans purport to be advocates for the pro-life movement. Another reason that matters more for this race than others is that a few supreme court positions may become vacant in the coming years. Since the only legitimate way to ban abortions is to overturn Roe v. Wade, pro-life activists consider the nomination of pro-life justices paramount to their cause.

While John McCain has almost a 100% pro-life voting record, and will most certainly continue that trend as president, he is NOT the best candidate for reducing and/or stopping abortions in America. It is my contention that Barack Obama, while a staunch pro-choice candidate, will actually do more to reduce abortions than John McCain.

Let's consider a few things:

• When choosing a candidate based on his perceived value of life, one must take into account many more factors than abortion alone. John McCain is a clear supporter of war. He has made his support for the war in Iraq VERY clear. A support for life, to me, does not mesh with supporting a war that has no benefits whatsoever. I can understand supporting a war that benefits somebody, but that fact is, our soldiers are dying in Iraq for absolutely no reason other than the fact that we decided to try to police the middle east.
• After voting for George W. Bush and electing a republican congress, based on their supposed advocacy for the pro-life movement, pro-life voters have nothing to show for it. Bush fought for the conservative pro-life vote, but did nothing to prevent or reduce abortions. In fact, I would argue that due to his support of abstinence-only sex education, there are now more accidental pregnancies, which translate to more abortions. To deny our students the ability to learn how to prevent pregnancies is to encourage abortion. Republicans purport to be actively pro-life, but they just want your vote.
  

Now, let's consider the benefits that Obama, despite being pro-choice, offers to the pro-life movement.

It's generally agreed that no matter the legality of abortion, it will continue.

I believe that the some valuable ways to reduce the amount of abortions are as follows:

• Make the world and the country a more desirable place to raise a child.
• Make birth control and prenatal care affordable.
• Encourage responsibility and good parenting.
  

When a woman gets pregnant in today's political and economic climate, she has to consider the benefit to her child of bringing him or her into a country in terrible economic shape, in the middle of a pointless war, and a less than optimal standing on the global stage. She would, most likely, have poor health insurance, or none at all. All of these factors make abortion the logical choice for many women.

Barack Obama promises to change not only the politics of America, but the climate of hospitality and community in America. He has said many times that investing in not only ourselves, but our neighbors and communities, is the best way to return America to our old standard of living. He has said time and time again that our fellow citizens' problems should be ours as well.

When the burdens of your fellow American become your own, a real climate of change for a better society begins. When having a child is viewed as a blessing, and not a curse, abortion becomes more of a last-resort option. When you know that you can provide that child with adequate health care, a real opportunity at financial success, and the opportunity to live in a peaceful world, abortion becomes the illogical choice.

The bottom line is, when considering abortion, one must consider the most effective way of reducing it. Since making it illegal will only serve to criminalize something that will still happen, the only logical choice is to take a preemptive stance to try and remove the willingness to have an abortion.

I truly believe that by making America a more desirable place to raise a child, abortions will decline. I also truly believe that Barack Obama is the only candidate who is taking a proactive stance on reforming not only the economy and our reputation, but the way that we, as a society, treat each other. Let's face it, McCain offers politics as usual. His presidency will most likely be as ineffective as Bush's has been. Since voting republican has done nothing to improve abortion rates, how can voting democrat hurt? It's not like democrats will pass laws that encourage abortion. The legality of abortion will stay the same no matter who is elected. It is simply a matter of choosing a candidate that can change the externalities that influence a woman's decision to have an abortion.

How did I do? Leave a comment and let me know.