My writing IRL is not as quick-witted as yours, nor do I write regular columns for publication, like some others on this forum. You and others write more poignantly than I and with more cleverness and humor by far.
I haven't finished reading all this thread, but I recently became aware of some interesting data on abortion. I think it is worth looking into if you want your vote to help reduce abortions. Here's a couple of starting points - http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/10/can-democrats-reduce-abortion.html http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1678 http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/abortion/ Basically they make the point that most feel driven to need an abortion due to issues related to poverty. Programs often associated with liberals involving sex education and social services - such as WIC's providing needs for mother and children do more to reduce abortion than trying to overturn Roe v. Wade. These programs help women have a true choice - a choice to have their baby if they want one or be more likely to avoid pregnancy if they don't. Sadly, people voted for Bush to decrease abortions -But...here's some data from another article - Abortion was decreasing. When President Bush took office, the nation's abortion rates were at a 24-year low, after a 17.4% decline during the 1990s. This was an average decrease of 1.7% per year, mostly during the latter part of the decade. (This data comes from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life using the Guttmacher Institute's studies). Enter George W. Bush in 2001. One would expect the abortion rate to continue its consistent course downward, if not plunge. Instead, the opposite happened. I found three states that have posted multi-year statistics through 2003, and abortion rates have risen in all three: Kentucky's increased by 3.2% from 2000 to 2003. Michigan's increased by 11.3% from 2000 to 2003. Pennsylvania's increased by 1.9% from 1999 to 2002. I found 13 additional states that reported statistics for 2001 and 2002. Eight states saw an increase in abortion rates (14.6% average increase), and five saw a decrease (4.3% average decrease). Under President Bush, the decade-long trend of declining abortion rates appears to have reversed. Given the trends of the 1990s, 52,000 more abortions occurred in the United States in 2002 than would have been expected before this change of direction. Think before you vote - your hope to reduce abortions may need to take a different direction than you've believed.
What does President Bush have to do with an upward cycle in abortions? Are there not trends of this going up and down depending more on population and those factors than whose in the Whitehouse? **Note: Those may be stupid questions, because I am admittedly not very politically minded. I just remember hearing how people blaming Hoover for the Great Depression, when it was a multitude of other factors already in play before he landed in the Presidential roll. I also want to say that I've spent the last hour reading through this thread. Very enlightening! I haven't been on much lately, so haven't been here to see this yet. I appreciate everyone's candid thoughts and responses! It's really helped me solidify my beliefs. Though I have always been Pro-Life, because of the Biblical Law, I wavered on the rape and other issues like that. But the things that have been said have opened my eyes to the fact that we must follow God's law at all costs! Patty, a lot of what you said was very clear for me! Others said things too, I can't begin to quote them all nor say all the names, but thanks everyone!
I will still be voting for somebody who is pro-life regardless of what statistics say about Bush. Like I shared in previous posts, I am positive people will still have abortions and not because of who is in office but because they hold little or value for the unborn.
I don't agree with the - this is my body, and I will do what I want argument. This is my body, and I want to smoke crack. Should we make drugs legal? This is my body, and I want to sell it (sex). Should we make prostitution legal? This is my body, and the guy down the street wants to eat me, so I'm going to kill myself and let him (this actually happened...I think it was someone in America - gave their body to someone in England TO EAT). GAG Should we let cannibalism be legal as long as both parties are consenting? I don't think we CAN do whatever we want with our own bodies. :/
