Abortion/I would like to see some forthright discussion by candidates

[Carni]

One big complaint I had about the campaign is how the abortion topic was handled in a very kid gloves manner.

Here's what I think pro-choice candidates should illustrate about abortion:

If Roe vs Wade is overturned:

There are going to be a whole lot of people giving birth to unwanted babies, that they may be ill equipped to care for.

Increases in poverty rates

Higher costs to consumers and tax payers in the way of welfare, health care costs, local school taxes etc.

Child neglect and abuse cases will be on the rise.

Abortions will not stop, but will just take place in the back alleys.

Does this sound course? Yes, but from everything I have read the above would take place in a climate where abortions are illegal.

Are all these "compassionate" hypocrits willing to "reach out" with their wallets? Doubtful...Who's going to pay bush's beloved OBGYN's to deliver all these babies?

Who's going to pay the bills for the woman who's ill that is forced to continue with a pregnancy?

Who's going to pay the bills for a baby that is born crack addicted?

The list goes on and on...and the scenarios are endless.

I believe that a typical birth now costs about five to six thousand dollars--with a health care system that is already maxed out to the gills and with so many uninsured that can't pay their hospital bills NOW, what would this do? Completely bankrupt the system?

Will we have poor people giving birth on the streets because they have no other option?

I think it's time the pro-choice candidates stopped just focusing on this as just being a "women's issue" and get down to the brass tacks of the deal.

I agree that it is a women's issue and that indeed it is "between a woman and her Dr" but the issue is also larger than that IMO
(News flash for our candidates...some women don't have doctors!)

If the wing nuts have their way with Roe V Wade --- is this country going to look like India in a few years?

(And now I just know I am going to get flamed heavily for being so callous but OH WELL! I threw in my two cents!)

[MsTryska]

1. What's even trippier

is that Indian women are well-versed in abortion options, due to the problems of extreme poverty and population control.

[Carni]

2. I swear this country has gone nuts

As usual bush and his cohorts have a half assed plan and haven't even bothered to think about the big picture!

[MsTryska]

3. And the grand irony of that

is that his father, and his grandfather were both big supporters and fundraisers for planned parenthood, and they were pro-choice, because of these issues of population control, and the burden on welfare rolls. so really there's no excuse for this numbnuts to not have any idea of the big picture.

[Carni]

6. I recall reading that!

I don't want to sound like some kind of jerk who wants to mandate population control, but I just felt like a lot of the campaign catered to a quotient of people who would never vote for a pro-life candidate anyway!

They were all so careful to be delicate and were sure to mention that they thought it was personally "was wrong" bla bla bla...

[MsTryska]

8. exactly....blah blah blah

as long as it's part of the consititution it's not allowed to be part of the campaign.


no one's questioning whehter it's right for blacks or women to vote, so why the heck is everyone so careful to bring upt he question now?


man if it were me running, the would either have a field day with me, or hate me:


"MsTryska how do you feel about abortion?"


"irrelevant. next?"

[IcyPeas]

4. Sick of MEN discussing abortion-candidates or otherwise...

its a privacy matter between a woman and her doctor. period. none of the politicians or candidates fu*ken business

[Madame X]

5. The strange thing about abortion

Most people who are against it don't actually vote that way. Those who are pro-choice are actually much more motivated to vote for a pro-choice candidate than anti-choice proponents vote for supposed "pro-life" candidates. According to the Pew Institute, this has proven true once again.

"Here are the facts. As Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center points out, there was no disproportionate surge in the evangelical vote this year. Evangelicals made up the same share of the electorate this year as they did in 2000. There was no increase in the percentage of voters who are pro-life. Sixteen percent of voters said abortions should be illegal in all circumstances."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/opinion/06brooks.html?oref=login&oref=login

[PlanetBev]

7. Kerry had the chance to pound it home during the debates

Could have mentioned that we are only one vote away from overturning Roe v. Wade, and what the consequences would be for the country. He failed to do that, playing it safe, instead.

Thanks for nothing, John.

[Carni]

9. I know he side stepped and hemmed and hawed about moral beliefs

And whatever else...it was a BAD way of handling the issue IMO