Have the Democrats Surrendered on Abortion Rights?

[Itsthetruth]

CounterPunch
February 10, 2005

Seeding Ground to the Anti-Abortionists
Have the Democrats Surrendered on Abortion Rights?
By NICOLE COLSON

"WE CAN all recognize that abortion in many ways represents a sad, even tragic, choice to many, many women."

It sounds like something straight out of the mouth of George W. Bush--or some other anti-choice Republican looking to repeal abortion rights. But this was the comment of Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, as she spoke last month to a 1,000-strong crowd of abortion rights supporters on the 32nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Taking a page straight from the Bush administration's "moral values" playbook, Clinton celebrated faith and organized religion as the "primary" reasons why teenagers would abstain from sexual relations--and insisted that there "is an opportunity for people of good faith to find common ground in this debate." Unfortunately, the "common ground" Clinton is talking about is squarely on the turf of the right wing.

Clinton's comments are just one example of the Democratic Party leadership's attempt to embrace a more conservative stance on abortion rights after their November election losses.

Appearing last weekend on NBC's Meet the Press, John Kerry told host Tim Russert that his party is a "big tent," and it welcomes anti-choice Democrats. While defending the legality of abortion, Kerry said, "we ought to be making certain that people understand there are other options. Abstinence is worth talking about. Adoption is worth talking about." Apparently, taking the right to choose away from teenage women is worth "talking about" as well--Kerry told Russert that he was in favor of national legislation requiring parental notification for teens seeking abortion, as long as it had a judicial and medical exemption.

"Party leaders say their support for preserving the landmark ruling will not change," the Los Angeles Times reported. "But they are looking at ways to soften the hard line, such as promoting adoption and embracing parental notification requirements for minors and bans on late-term abortions."

The Democrats seem determined to prove that they are moving away from support for abortion rights. One of the Democrats' first acts following the elections, for example, was to choose staunchly anti-choice (and anti-gay) Sen. Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) to replace Tom Daschle as the party's minority leader in the Senate.

In reality, groups like NOW and NARAL have shifted to the right along with the Democrats, embracing the ever-more conservative terms of the "debate" among the politicians. When Hillary Clinton talked about the "tragedy" of abortion, Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, couldn't find anything wrong with the remarks. "In many ways," said Smeal, " said that if you're interested in reducing the number of abortions, you should be with us."

Such statements represent a dramatic reversal from what was once accepted as common sense in the women's movement--that the right to abortion is an essential component of equal rights for women. Women have to be able to determine what happens to their bodies--including terminating an unwanted pregnancy. Abortion is a right that no woman should have to apologize for.

Now, the right wing is smelling victory again. Our side has to rise to this challenge.

Please read the entire article at:

http://www.counterpunch.org/colson02102005.html

[Zenlitened]

1. Seems like a steady stream of anti-Dem articles from Counterpunch lately

I don't read them regularly -- what's their angle? :shrug:

[LoZoccolo]

2. Counterpunch runs all sorts of splinterist propaganda.

Including the Haitian man-boobs story that was used by the FReeper troll seventhson to try to torment us.

[Itsthetruth]

3. So Say What You Disagree With In The Article

If you disagree with an article from CounterPunch why not simply indicate what it is you disagree with?

I don't think that a broad smear against the publication, because you don't agree with all of the writers and articles that have appeared in CounterPunch, is fair.

I hope you don't do that will all liberal and progressive publications when you come across an article you don't like or disagree with.

Personally, I have not yet found a single website or publication that I'm in total agreement with. Probably never will! If you find a "pure" website or publication which only posts articles that I agree with please let me know.

[LoZoccolo]

4. I'm saying it's not worth my time finding out.

I could get sent on a wild goose chase finding out where they took this or that out of context, or blew this or that out of proportion, or I could just realize that they start with an agenda of trying to destroy the Democratic Party and decide if it's worth my time from there. It's a pattern of behaviour on their part. It's not just the Haitian man-boobs story.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. There really is no way to "compromise" with the RW anti-choice groups.

They have no wish to compromise. Their position is all or nothing. They have no wish to deal with womens' rights advocates, and will keep trying to push the Democrats to the right until the Democrats have totally submitted. I think there is no room to give up even one inch. Every woman must have the right make her own choice. If you do not personally believe that abortion is a viable choice for you, do not have one. You do not have the right to tell me what my options and choices should be. I do not see any room for compromise on that. I feel that anyone who does see room for compromise as sacrificing my rights.
Is anyone advocating parental or spousal permission for the purchase of condoms or Viagra or getting a vasectomy?
Why does this limiting of choices only apply to women's options?
When will the real issues be discussed? This is all about CONTROL, not about the sanctity of life.
While there may be some people who have joined this crusade out of some true concerns for life, the underlying issues were, and always will be, the control of women's minds and bodies.
If this were not true, the movement would not be interfering in the issues of prenatal care, postnatal care, the issues of HIV health services, and sex education services, both here and around the world.
Limiting this issue to abortion alone is totally disingenuous. The issue is, in reality, the entire sphere of womens health issues and rights.

[Itsthetruth]

6. I Agree

Well said! If the Republicans are successfully dragging some Democrats to the right on this and other issues that ought to be opposed. Silence can only encourage those Democrats who want to find "common ground" with right-wing Republicans on important issues.

Democrats who are willing to concede to right-wing Republicans are dividing progressives, not those who want to unite in opposition to our enemies.

[LisaLL]

7. Not a surrender at all

No, Dems aren't surrendering. We are finally speaking in values terms and pointing out that *we* are the ones who value the health and safety of women and children, *we* are the ones who are preventing pregnancies and reducing the need for abortions, and supporting policies that help all families raise children, *we* are the ones who use evidence about what is effective in our policies, *we* are the ones demanding accurate medical information. Abortion needs to remain legal because the legality protects the health and safety of women. Making abortion illegal doesn't reduce abortions. Preventing unintended pregnancies and improving resources for families does.

"Rights" as an argument only resonates wiht those of us who are already pro-choice. Putting this in the context of Prevention (which has always been what we do)gives us the moral high ground.

We've been doing these things all along but only defending abortion has gotten the press coverage until now.

In doing this, we reveal that the "pro-lifers" are the biggest obstacles to reducing abortion in this country. We invite them to join us in preventing pregnancies and when they say, "no" it helps to reveal their agenda.

This is how we will win this debate.

It is absolutely ridiculous that conservatives call this moving to the right. But then again,it's easy for them to say a lot of things when they don't feel any obligation to be honest or accurate

[Itsthetruth]

8. It's All About Rights!

"Rights" as an argument only resonates wiht those of us who are already pro-choice."

That's perhaps true if you believe that more people cannot be won over to support of women's rights, including the right to have an abortion.

I've always like the idea of people fighting for their rights. Be it the labor movement demanding the "right" to belong to a union or the "right" to strike; the civil rights movement demanding articulating a series of rights including the "right" to vote; civil libertarians defending and expanding our Bill of Rights.

In the history of this nation progressives have always battled to demand new and expand existing "rights". Sometimes we have won, and sometimes we have suffered setbacks. Don't take abortion "rights" for granted and keep on insisting that this is a human and women's right! You're not just preaching to the choir and if you pull back from insisting this is a right you could very well lose it.

Don't take it for granted and don't concede a thing to right-wing propaganda and arguments against a women's right to choose. We have no common ground with them.

I hope the fight is renewed for passage of a Constitutional Equal Rights Amendment. It's all about rights!

[DrGonzoLives]

9. A "dramatic" reversal

would be Democrats saying "We will work to overturn Roe v. Wade."

This is not a dramatic reversal. This is essentially the same message as before, packaged differently. Saying that abortion can be a gut-wrenching decision for women is not "reversing" your position on abortion. Unless you think that most women getting abortions do so gleefully and happily.

The majority of Americans fall somewhere in the middle of the debate when it comes to abortion. If our side can re-market itself to capture some of them without, drama queen screaming to the contrary, actually "reversiong" anything, then what is the problem?

[w4rma]

10. Not one inch on choice has been ceded within the party.

Counterpunch is full of BS on this article.

Dems are promoting and emphasizing prevention, in addition to supporting choice.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. "Abortion rights" are Civil Rights and shouldn't be negotialble.

But, the Vichy wing of the Democrats are eager to clamber on the "Traditional Family Values" bandwagon.

[KissMeKate]

12. democrats seem to have surrendered on EVERYTHING.

which is why people are surrendering on voting democrat.

[Dark]

13. Abortion is a sad thing. NO woman celebrates having an abortion.

The circumstances, the jeering crowds. NOTHING ABOUT ABORTION REEKS OF ANYTHING OTHER THAN SADNESS AND TRADGEDY.

I don't agree with her other comments, though.