Democratic bill targets abortions
By Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
November 30, 2005
Democrats in Congress are preparing a bill they say will reduce U.S. abortions by 95 percent over 10 years by preventing "unwanted pregnancies" and providing "social support" for pregnant women.
Supporters hope to soften their party's abortion-on-demand image and attract evangelical Christian and pro-life Catholic voters who have been voting Republican in recent years.
"I would worry if I were the Republican leadership, because we are going to provide the true, long-term solution to reducing the number of abortions," said Rep. Tim Ryan, a pro-life Democrat from Ohio.
Mr. Ryan is chief sponsor of the bill that is being fine-tuned and will be shown to Democrats in both houses after the Senate returns Dec. 12 from its Thanksgiving recess.
One supporter is former Rep. Tim Roemer, an Indiana Democrat whose pro-life views helped cost him election to the Democratic National Committee chairmanship earlier this year.
"This bill will put front and center the fact that there are too many abortions in the United States and what can we do through health care tax credits, adoption, contraception, abstinence, appropriate education of teenagers on how to reduce unwanted pregnancies," said Mr. Roemer, president of the Center for National Policy and a distinguished scholar at George Mason University's Mercatus Center.
The sponsors' first hurdle is to attract sufficient support from fellow Democrats to make the case that the party is sensitive to the moral issues raised by abortion. It's a big hurdle: Pro-choice Democrats in Congress far outnumber their pro-life colleagues.
Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, a pro-choice Democrat, said he is ready to climb aboard.
"We as
Democrats have made it very clear that we do have a big tent and that people who are very pro-choice are welcome and those who are pro-life are welcome," he said. "I have never spoken with single Democrat who is pro-abortion -- they are pro-choice."
Sen. Ben Nelson, Nebraska Democrat, supports Mr. Ryan's proposal "because he is a pro-life Democrat who thinks there should be as many alternatives as possible to abortion," said Nelson spokesman David DiMartino.
A spokesman for Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, said she agrees with Mr. Ryan that "the number of abortions can and should be reduced."
Sen. Mark Pryor, Arkansas Democrat, will support a bill that "finds ways to reduce abortion, but he hasn't seen the [Ryan] legislation yet," a spokesman said.
[page two can be read on above link]
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"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
[ edited by Linda_K on Nov 30, 2005 07:56 PM ]
posted on November 30, 2005 10:50:21 PM
LOL.....you appear to be ignoring the FACT that it is pro-life democrats who are proposing this bill, which appears to contain the teaching of abstinence....NOT conservatives.
This just shows there are some democrats in our Congress who don't support the 'abortion on demand' concept that most liberals do....and that they too would like to convince voters they really do believe abortion should be 'rare' as clinton stated. hahaha
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
posted on November 30, 2005 11:11:54 PM
We must be reading different articles. Bush is the only one I hear insisting teaching abstinence is the way to go.
Or we could teach people not to eat. Or breathe.
posted on November 30, 2005 11:19:06 PM
Maybe you missed this part of the article I posted.
"This bill will put front and center the fact that there are too many abortions in the United States and what can we do through health care tax credits, adoption, contraception, abstinence, appropriate education of teenagers on how to reduce unwanted pregnancies," said Mr. Roemer, president of the Center for National Policy and a distinguished scholar at George Mason University's Mercatus Center.
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
posted on November 30, 2005 11:48:15 PM
Yes, abstinence as ONE of MANY solutions.
""This just shows there are some democrats in our Congress who don't support the 'abortion on demand' concept that most liberals do....and that they too would like to convince voters they really do believe abortion should be 'rare' as clinton stated. hahaha ""
Aside from your assinine "Hahaha" which proves NO point whatsoever, why does the above statement surprise you...many in here have pointed out repeatedly that Democrats are independent thinkers , not the sheep-like creatures from the Right.
I've known many Democrats who have different opinions on many issues. So ?
posted on December 1, 2005 02:34:02 AM
Actually Linda, I did not miss that. nor did I miss the fact that immediately following that is the poart that I quoted which would imply that both abstinence and realistic sexual education will be tought and we all know that the right loess their ever lobing minds every time someone brings up the concept of teaching teens anything other than abstinence. "Appropriate education" means birth control.
Also, I am not missing that this bill is being introduced by democrats. What I am saying is that the religious right will put heavy prssure on representatives to overturn the bill as long as it endorses any concept other than abstinence.
NERF - If the only person you hear saying that Abstinience is the only way to go then then you must be on the "All Bush All the Time" channel because the religious right and parentls groups all over the conrty have repeatedly come out against the teaching of sex education and use of birth control methods in school.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
posted on December 1, 2005 03:52:50 AM
"NERF - If the only person you hear saying that Abstinience is the only way to go then then you must be on the "All Bush All the Time""
Being a male reading that statement...I would say thats an oxymoron<snicker>
posted on December 1, 2005 07:34:53 AM
I should have qualified the statement - Bush and all of his mindless followers.
I hope nobody actually thinks telling people not to have sex is good use of taxpayer money. Something tells me the urge will likely win out. Teaching responsibility seems to me the only logical thing to do. But what do I know, I was a miraculous conception.
posted on December 1, 2005 09:57:18 AM
yep...according to some...self control is totally out now-a-days.
fenix - What I'm interested in see is just how much support the dems give this bill. How many dems vote to support this bill.
We already know that the dem party is working to 'find religion' now with the elections drawing closer. Now they want to NOT be seen as the party who totally supports all abortions. They need to make it look like they too want abortions to be limited in some way.
I think it's funny to watch the dem party changing their positions in hopes of finally winning some elections once again.
posted on December 1, 2005 11:10:45 AM
""yep...according to some...self control is totally out now-a-days. """
No, but preaching abstinence as a "cure" for abortions, or for stemming the tide of AIDS, just DOESN'T work. See, all people are not as sexless, nor as perfect, as you are
"""fenix - What I'm interested in see is just how much support the dems give this bill. How many dems vote to support this bill."""
OR how many Republicans do.
"""We already know that the dem party is working to 'find religion' now with the elections drawing closer. Now they want to NOT be seen as the party who totally supports all abortions. They need to make it look like they too want abortions to be limited in some way.""
Democrats were never in favor of having as many abortions as possible. And, rather than make criminals of poor women who want abortions , the DEMOCRATS are looking for solutions. The Repugs just want to take away women's rights.
"""I think it's funny to watch the dem party changing their positions in hopes of finally winning some elections once again."""
I think it wasn't funny to see the bush administration change their reasons for the war with every change in the wind.
I think it is funny to see some Republicans up for re-election distancing themselves from bush and re-aligning with the Democrats
