In the battle for gay rights and women's rights the religious right view is showing. In the nodding to the power of corporations, their donations are taking root.
More from the world of women's rights recently shows what I mean.
Southern Baptists, Catholic Bishops, Dems for Life endorse Casey's Pregnant Women Support Bill.
The spokeswoman for Democrats for Life, Kristen Day, calls those of who who have doubts about it...abortion "absolutists."
I think our party has weighed the rights of women and gays in the balance, and they have found us wanting as a reason to fight. I think that they feel these are expendable issues and that bringing the religious right on board is more important. I think we will later find that is a sad mistake that can not be undone.
This is a bill put forth by two Democrats, Bob Casey of PA and Lincoln Davis of TN. The bill apparently aims to provide for "economically distressed pregnant women".
The bill does not mention
family planning. How can you have a bill that fails to mention contraception as an important step?
A similar bill which failed in 2006 gave grant money for tracking the number of abortions and all details about them. A very scary thought. I don't know if this bill has that.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-6145(a) Grants- The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may make grants to States for collecting and reporting abortion surveillance data.
(b) Reporting Requirement-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may make a grant to a State under this section only if the State agrees to submit a report in each of fiscal years 2008 and 2010 on the State's abortion surveillance data.
(2) CONTENTS- Each report submitted by a State under this subsection shall, with respect to the preceding 2 fiscal years, include--
A)
the number and characteristics of women obtaining abortions in the State; and
(B) the characteristics of these abortions, including the approximate gestational age of the unborn child, the abortion method, and any known physical or psychological complications. I just looked up the bill introduced by Bob Casey in May of this year. S. 1032. Yes, it does call for an abortion database.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1032/text?version=is&nid=t0:is:30 (A) the number and characteristics of women obtaining abortions in the State;
(B) the characteristics of these abortions, including the approximate gestational age of the unborn child, the abortion method, and any known physical or psychological complications.
(3) PERSONAL INFORMATION- A report submitted by a State under this subsection shall not contain the name of any woman obtaining or seeking to obtain an abortion, any common identifier (such as a social security number), or any other identifier (including statistical information) that would make it possible to identify in any manner or under any circumstances an individual who has obtained or seeks to obtain an abortion.
At least the report submitted will not contain names. Keeping track of abortions not a good idea.
This bill has strong support of Catholics.
Cardinal Rigali Urges Support for 'Pregnant Women Support Act'"In a case like the one just mentioned, when it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects.”
We offer the good Cardinal’s letter to encourage support for the Pregnant Women Support Act. as well as to demonstrate to all Catholics, other Christians, and all people of good will in public office how to proceed while they work without compromise to bring an end to the reign of the Culture of Death in the current positive law in the United States"
I do not like the term Culture of Death used against people who believe in the rights of women. I find it insulting to characterize good people that way.
It appears even Planned Parenthood is not actually coming out against the bill. They oppose parts of the bill, but they appear to be giving in.
Source: White House Leaning Toward Pregnant Women Support ActCongressional sponsors of the Pregnant Women Support Act, which aims to reduce abortions by providing assistance to economically distressed pregnant women, are growing more optimistic about prospects for White House support. The bill is backed by antiabortion groups like the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops and by Democratic groups like Democrats
for Life.
It was introduced this year by Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and Tennessee Rep. Lincoln Davis, both Democrats.
Planned Parenthood opposes parts of the bill that are designed to influence women to decide to forgo abortions; the group says it wants to inform pregnant women of options but not influence them either way. But Planned Parenthood has not officially come out against it.
The White House won't comment on its view of the Pregnant Women Support Act. Obama aides are still working up what they say will be a common-ground policy plan on abortion and related reproductive issues. But a congressional source close to the legislation
E-mailed me this status report:
"Earlier this year, the White House office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships reached out to our office at the staff level for information on the Pregnant Women Support Act to begin what would become a larger dialogue on the issue of abortion reduction. Since then, we have had ongoing correspondence with their office, and a meeting is scheduled in the coming weeks between White House Administration staff and Congressional staff to discuss the issue further. I don't want to get in to reading the tea leaves on the White House's position or strategy for this issue, but I would call their interest in the Pregnant Women Support Act significant"
Kristen Day recently said that by 2006, the party had moved aggressively, recruiting Bob Casey, a candidate opposed to abortion. In 2008 she further said the party has not only gone to great lengths to recruit such candidates, it has also provided them significant financial backing.
More from her.
Kristen Day says Abortion ‘absolutists’ blocking bill to support pregnant womenThis Democrats for Life group is gaining much power in the Democratic party. They are the group that refused to endorse John Kerry in 2004.
Washington D.C., Jun 2, 2009 / 06:54 am (CNA).- Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, has criticized the lack of support among the more “absolutist” Democratic supporters of abortion rights for a bill that aims to reduce the number of abortions by helping pregnant women. Day claimed the bill’s opponents think the bill “goes too far toward common ground.”
Day authored a May 22 essay in Newsday, titled “Is there a middle on abortion?”, explaining the provisions of the Pregnant Women Support Act (PWSA) and the proposed legislation’s political reception.
A “minority of Democrats on the pro-choice side” object to a provision requiring that abortion providers offer women the voluntary option of receiving pre-abortion counseling to learn of the risks associated with abortion, Day said.
That option she speaks of is referring to the pregnancy crisis centers which are not at all like Planned Parenthood, and they do not offer abortion as an option. They are religion-based groups.
So Kristen can count me among the "absolutists" who oppose these groups and oppose funding them.
Kaine okays funding Pregnancy Crisis CentersCrisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), also known as pregnancy resource centers, are non-profit organizations established by pro-life supporters that work to persuade pregnant women to give birth rather than have an abortion. Most CPCs are in the United States. CPCs are usually affiliated with pro-life Christian organizations; two such organizations are Care Net and Heartbeat International. CPCs are distinct from pregnancy options counseling, which offers secular, medically-based information about choices concerning pregnancy, including information about abortion.
The Christian right is gaining a strong foothold in our party, and women are giving up their rights one by one. The president's new faith-based rep to the HHS is in a powerful position now, and she is anti-choice. Natasha Chart at Open Left found these words of the new appointee, Alexia Kelley.
This Round Goes To Terrorists, Intractible BelieversAs others have picked up and as Sarah Posner has reported, Kelley wrote in a 2008 book that, "Each abortion constitutes a direct attack on human life, and so we have a special moral obligation to end or reduce the practice of abortion to the greatest extent possible."
Now, while I'm sure that Kelley would never support any violent action, and while I've been assured that she's quite the humanitarian on poverty issues, read that statement again. These are the words of a moderate, sane, well-balanced, fully functional and competent human being who just so happens to believe that all abortion is categorically an attack on human life.
Where's the woman in that equation? Nowhere.
So when Kelley says things like this, (via Sarah Posner, via a thoughtful essay on compromise and common ground at Pandagon,) I'm inclined to believe her:
... Kelley and CACG have made clear they are committed to Catholic doctrine on abortion and birth control. CACG has supported the Pregnant Women's Support Act, aimed at stigmatizing abortion and making it less accessible. In discussing legislation on reducing the need for abortion, Kelley has written that various pieces of legislation concerned with women's health "are not all perfect; some include contraception-which the Church opposes." ...
It's because I believe her that I'm inclined to think that she shouldn't be allowed within a mile of deciding other people's medical care options, particularly relating to HIV prevention and family planning for low-income families.
In 2007 Kelley and CACG came out in favor of the Supreme Court's ban on "partial birth abortions".
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good Executive Director Alexia Kelley issued the following statement today in response to yesterday's Supreme Court decision upholding a nationwide ban on "partial-birth" abortions: "Catholic Social Teaching calls us to promote and protect human life and dignity. In this spirit, we welcome the Supreme Court's decision to ban this practice. In order to build a culture that fully values human life and human dignity we must commit to addressing the underlying causes of abortion. As a nation, and as a Church, we need to do everything we can to support women and families facing unexpected or emergency pregnancies, and to provide robust alternatives that help them choose life."
There is no consideration that there will be times when a women faces life or death situations. There is no thought for the women and their rights.
It appears the religious community is taking strong hold now in our party. It is shown in the efforts to strip women of their rights, and it is shown in President Obama's failure to uphold his clear promises about Don't Ask Don't Tell.
President Bush got into office helped along by the religious right and corporate power. Sometimes I believe the two groups are just simply switching party as the power shifts.
Women's rights are being given up in a slow but sure way. And too many are defending the ones who are taking them from us.
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