I've just seen this video and I need to clarify my own thoughts.
"human life begins at conception". Duh! Yes life begins at conception. Not all pregnancies ends happily with a baby, but conception is the moment when a new human life is possible. And this possibility is important enough to respect this new life, and give rights to the baby. On a personal point of view it's clear to me.
But life is more than being born.
This video is incredible. If I were republican I would seriously doubt in Mc Cain right now. "As a president I would be a pro-life president and this presidency would have pro-life policy" He says that without an hesitation, as a well learned speech.
I think he is hypocrite. Not only because he is pro-life with restrictions, but mainly because being pro-life should not stop with birth!!!
I'm not Obama biggest fan, but I appreciate his hesitations. I'm glad the video highlights them. You cannot answer the question of abortion in one sentence. Of course life begins at conception, but life isn't so manichean! If a president is really pro-life, he should think bigger than "let's make abortion illegal".
That's not how it is, that just condemning some women to back-alleys abortions. Let's face it some babies are going to be aborted whatever law the country votes.
There is no happy answer for an unwanted pregnancy. But there are ways to limit those pregnancies. I'm not talking about condoms or abstinence only program. Call me a naive but I personaly believe that education is the best place to start. Let schools have program about the beauty of love, the respect of human body, of spirit and mind. It doesn't even have to be religious teaching, let's just talk more about love and commitment. Talk about parenting, about budgeting, about responsibilities.
Yep I know all of that should be taught by parents. Or close family. And yes such an education can be considered as interventionist or paternalist. But I think the country should still offer all these teachings at school and high school. I don't pretend that would change the world, but that could make more people think before they act. That could be a counterpart to the culture out there, on tv, magazines, theaters and so on...
I think being pro-life is A LOT MORE than an no-abortion policy.
How can you say yourself "pro-life" and send people to an endless war?
How can you be pro-life and let people work endless hours and still not be able to make both ends meet?
How can you be pro-life and agree with death-penalty? That's just as disrespectful to human kind as abortion is.
I'm waiting for a candidate that's truly pro-life. Maybe by the time I get a right to vote in the USA there will be one.
In the meantime I will support Obama, because of his hesitation on that video among others. Because with hesitating he refuses to make it a simple question or a motto. "Answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade". Well that's being humble. The question of abortion cannot be answered with stating "I'm pro-life" or "I'm pro-choice" because both candidate run for presidency. It's not a matter of personal life, it's policy for a country where ANYWAY women are going to look for abortions. So what should they do? make it illegal and see them getting sick, dying of back alley abortion, abusing their children?
Provide education, help, alternatives, and then you can say you're prolife.
Previously "a frog's life", we now are settled in France, probably for a few more years. We now have two kids and big plans for our little garden. A sort of old fashioned American homestead 20 miles from Paris.
2 comments:
Honestly, I think if you want to be consistent, you have to be all the way consistent. Obama shouldn't be able to get pro-life support by prattling on about war, just as McCain shouldn't be able to get our support by paying lip-service to pro-life sentiments. I don't have the vote here in this country (yet, but I'm taking my time on citizenship, I only got my 'real' green card last year), but I don't think I could vote for either candidate. I couldn't vote for Obama because he has a consistently horrific pro-abortion stand - how a man could vote against an anti-infanticide bill I do *not* understand. And I couldn't vote for McCain because he has become an apologist for the use of torture (or, 'coercive interrogation techniques'). Both are moral questions with black and white absolute answers: abortion is ALWAYS wrong. Torture is ALWAYS wrong.
War...well, there are criteria for just war. I don't think the war in Iraq fit that criteria. But, since we're there, there's a responsibility to ensure that justice is done, and lots of room for disagreement on what justice looks like.
Health care, social policies...there's a lot of wiggle room for disagreement on those things as well because, although we are obliged to work for a just society, we are not obliged to work in any set or standard way towards that goal. This country has a long conservative intellectual tradition behind some of the reticence on getting the government involved in some of these areas, for fear that government involvement will make things worse rather than better.
Anyway...for me, right now, it comes down to those two issues, abortion and torture. And both candidates are absolute disappointments on one of these absolute questions.
"I think being pro-life is A LOT MORE than an no-abortion policy."
Thank you for saying that! I'm with you on this. I am Pro-Life, and Pro-Obama. Unfortunately, he has no campaign buttons that say that.
Women deserve better than abortion. Abortion is not a choice - it is a desperate measure.
Now we just have to teach the Dems that.
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