My Daily Domestic Diigolet 05/19/2009

• Martha Burk: Weak on Women’s Rights at Notre DameObma’s talk at ND ticks of the pro-aboartion liberals too. tags: obama, abortion
  • The letter Obama cited in great detail was from an anti-choice doctor who had taken him to task for a statement on his campaign website saying he would fight “right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman’s right to choose.” The president was quick to point out that while he had not changed his fundamental position (though he declined to reiterate it), he had instructed his staff to alter the wording, presumably so that “ideologue” no longer appeared.
  • The rest of the speech, insofar as a woman’s most fundamental right to control her own body was concerned, was a big fat silence. Leading off with “Maybe we won’t agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions,” the president detailed all the ways we can reduce abortions. He mentioned adoption, support for women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term, and crafting a “sensible conscience clause” (whatever that means) for health care providers as well as “health care policies grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women.”
  • Coming from a pro-choice president who was elected by women – including a significant number of defectors from their rabidly anti-choice Republican party – it was faint support indeed. Instead of merely asking us to agree that abortion is a heart-wrenching decision (we all do anyway), why not ask us to agree on the fundamental moral agency of women? Why not ask us to agree that government should not interfere in a woman’s most basic right to autonomy in controlling her life? If he wants to follow that with a statement about reducing the need for abortion, I’ll be with him all the way.

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