Warren Buffett Donates $3 Billion to Pro-Abortion Groups

[WhiteTara]

http://www.sierratimes.com/06/07/06/205_188_116_8_15948.htm
Warren Buffett Donates $3 Billion to Pro-Abortion Groups

this seems to be a bit of a fundie source, but none the less interesting. youjust have to ignore their slant and glean the tidbits from the article

One of the big stories this summer is the generous donation of billions of dollars to charity by one of the world's richest men. As a result, he's received the praise of practically the entire news media.

What the news media neglected to report is that the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which was created by multi-billionaire businessman Warren Buffett in honor of his deceased spouse, is donating upwards of $3 billion to pro-abortion groups, not only to fund their political operations, but also for the training of physicians on how to end the lives of unborn babies.
snip
Warren Buffett's donation is in addition to the $2.5 billion provided to the foundation in the will of Susan Thompson Buffett, who died in 2004.

But this is not the first time Buffett has supported abortion. In the past, the Buffetts' philanthropic efforts includes reportedly contributing to the Center for Reproductive Rights in order to assist it in its court battle to overturn Nebraska's ban on partial-birth abortion; the ban was overturned in 2001 thanks in large part to Buffett.

Their foundation also has given money to Planned Parenthood, NARAL, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights, and other pro-abortion groups. In addition, they donated millions of dollars to help mifepristone, which causes a medical abortion when taken in conjunction with the drug misoprostol, gain FDA approval.

[Erika]

1. Buffet is for family planning

which includes abortions. And?

[JI7]

2. "pro-choice"

[SensibleAmerican]

3. You mean pro-reproductive rights groups

n/t

[physioex]

4. That's right.......

It's time for us to not let the other side label the debate....

[Lex]

5. No one is "pro" abortion. Pro choice maybe, but not pro abortion.

That definitely sounds like a fundie headline.

[Erika]

7. Dems want to reduce abortions by education

The GOP want to eliminate the right to choice and force women to give birth against their will even in the cases of incest and rape. Big difference.

Women should not become chattel of the government and forced to give birth against their will. Period.

[Roland99]

26. I am...well...if by pro-abortion you mean:

Aborting this failed administration.

[Emit]

6. A bit of a fundie source?

Well, definitely a fundie author. Here's the last paragraph:

While Americans may be aware of Buffett's liberalism and his support of abortion, very few knew that his money financed the training of doctors to kill the unborn. While he's been critical of how President Bush is fighting the war on terrorism and once complained about the "needless loss of American and Iraqi lives," Buffett apparently feels no remorse over helping to needlessly kill millions of unborn children not only in the United States but throughout the world.

Anyway, congrats to Buffett for supporting women's reproductive rights issues.

[Erika]

8. Buffet tells the far right wing fundies to kiss off

He will help women in family planning. He can't be understood by the fundies. They think the rich should wallow in their wealth and eliminate family planning so little ones will be born in dire straights and be thankful to work minimum wage jobs to help prosper the rich.

It's about time.

[readmoreoften]

9. For a capitalist, I like 'im. /nt

[REP]

10. Pro-Liars Hate Buffet - He's Always Been Strongly Pro-Choice

They've been issuing boycott lists against Berkshire-Hathaway held companies for years because of his strong financial support of reproductive rights, including abortion rights. He's okay with me!

[grateful581]

11. "Pro-Abortion"

that phrase is sick and wrong. none of us are "pro-abortion"

[Erika]

12. Not at all

European countries offer benefits for new mothers to allow them to be home and bond with their child for the first year. We don't. We punish those women who have no income to get your butt out and support that child. You got six weeks.

[The Doctor.]

19. These people are emotionally twisted...

No thoughtful person can get through to them no matter how reasonable or rational you are... and here's why;

What they 'believe' isn't based on reason, it's based on a visceral reaction to the imagery and associations that have been devised in them over the years. Whether from upbringing or from exposure to similar visceral points of view, there is no reason or rationale in such an emotional process.

They have long since decided to assign bogus properties and values to these things to justify those emotions. Because their emotions dictate their reasoning, they see abortion as an 'absolute wrong' for which an 'absolute solution' is required. As such, no amount of rational thought, no statistics, no studies, no facts, no concern for democracy, public health, or economics, nor any consideration for a thoughtful approach can enter into their opinion.

We can provide all the proof that abortion rates go down significantly when minimum wage is raised, health care is more readily available, children and teenagers are educated about sex and how to use contraception, and more educational opportunities are afforded young people.
We can also show that outlawing abortion does little to decrease abortion rates and puts women at greater risk overall.

-And it won't matter to them at all. Because their response is emotional and they just wants 'to put an end to abortion', there is no room for reason or a thoughtful approach. Anyone who suggests a deliberate approach is therefore, in their, for abortion.

What these hysterical people don't understand, or perhaps don't even want to understand is that we all want to do away with abortion.

I've had conversations with these people, and it's really creepy how you can tell them you want to do away with abortion, but because you favor a deliberate and thoughtful approach, they assume you are lying... or they just don't hear you.

Most of them really believe that if you don't want an outright ban, then you must therefore love abortions and therefore the killing of babies which are children so you are pure evil.

They are so very twisted.

[IsIt1984Yet]

20. I agree that this phrase is offensive and wrong. Pro-CHOICE.

I have never been and will never be Pro-Abortion. That gives one the impression that abortion is the choice of preference.

I don't like it one bit.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Hola! ¿Qué pasa?

¿Dónde está el OP?

[rucky]

14. Why do we have to read the slanted version when it's all over the AP wire?

eom

[texasleo]

15. Abortion is the choice

sorry, but there's no arguing about that.

[blogslut]

18. oh yes

All us evil wimmens just love to choose abortion, just like shoes!
</snarkasm>

[durrrty libby]

22. Abortion may be A choice, but it is not THE choice.

Education and Empowerment = drastically fewer abortions.

That is THE fact.




Edited to add



When I read stunningly uninformed opinions on this subject, 99% of the time, I discover they are written by men

So here’s my wish; Men need to be 100% supportive (Thank you Mr Buffett) or they need to just STFU on the subject.

[Vidar]

16. Good for Buffet.

[applegrove]

17. And if these organizations are given a huge amount of capital.. they

may do research and come up with alternatives. Like good birth control (perhaps a shot) or the man pill.

[IsIt1984Yet]

21. There is a 3-month shot and it's awesome!

http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/bcdepo.htm

[NYC Liberal]

25. Problem is, fundies don't like EEEEVIL birth control either.

Though I do agree with you.

[applegrove]

28. Of course not. That would end the wedge on abortion. Churches would

then have only gays to hate. That would be horrible. With only one wedge... well...have you ever tried to serve yourself some salad with only one tong? Very hard to control for the GOP.

Afterall.. religion is only there to turn Americans into salad. Slicing and dicing. And quite a little bit of tearing apart.

[eallen]

23. Freepers' heads explode to discover real capitalists believe in freedom.

Gates. Buffett. Soros.

The latter especially. He escaped the Nazis, spent millions fighting the Soviets, and established the Open Society Institute. Of course he opposes Bush.

:hippie:

[Cha]

24. Yeah, cause no one is

"pro abortion"..just the zealots who like the government butting in call it "pro abortion".

More like anti abortion because he believes in family planning.

[iconoclastNYC]

27. The term abortion has been defined by the Right-wing.

Now in the general population abortion = baby killing. A fetus is not a baby people. And women and men deserve the freedom to decide what grows or does not grow in thier body. The government should not take that right from us.

Shying away from the word abortion in my mind helps the right wing.

You are aborting a pregnancy. A fetus doesn't resemble a baby until the latter stages of pregnancy.

All "pro-choice" spokesmen need to learn to reframe this. This is about reproductive freemdom and personal liberties. The "baby killer" meme is what really hurts this issue.

This is not a baby:

[corbett]

29. A Crucial Distinction - Thanks!

http://www.democrats.org/democracybonds.html

[Warren DeMontague]

30. Okay, I'll phrase the question in English:

Where is the OP?

Particularly since a lot of folks in this thread have raised issues with not just the phrasing "Pro-Abortion", but the plunking down into the middle of DU a very far-right, virulently anti-choice piece of... source material.

[hatredisnotavalue]

31. I wouldn't cheer too loudly

given that Buffet's Berkshire-Hathaway bought our local shoe shop several years ago and then promptly closed it down. They were going to announce the 2,000 layoffs on Sept.11, 2001, but waited a week. Town of 4,000's largest employer gone. Personally, he probably didn't know about the deal, but my town's residents did. A nice community center from his hugely generous donation or some scholarships would have been nice. Whatever...

[onehandle]

32. The source is a right-wing internet rag. Which explains the title.

No one is "Pro-Abortion".