As Washington D.C traded Inaugural event attendees for March for Life attendees, joining conservative advocates of the sanctity of life are groups who are definitely not conservative. One such group is Democrats for Life of America, only one of 200+ organizations supporting what is termed Consistent Life Ethic.
Consistent Life Ethic
The Pro-Life movement encompasses considerably more than abortion, thus the liberals’ support. The movement to respect life includes advocacy for Just War Doctrine, euthanasia and capital punishment, support of new and expectant mothers, the mission to protect children by passing the Child Custody Protection Act and promote Safe Haven laws while supporting funding for programs such as the Abandoned Infants Assistance.
The President's Promises
The president made promises to both sides of the abortion debate. According to Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr., toward the end of the third debate, President Obama attempted to ease the minds of those supporting the sanctity of life with, "those who believe in choice and those who are opposed to abortion can come together and say, 'We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and that they should not be engaged in cavalier activity, and providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby.' " Obama added: "Nobody's pro-abortion." The president, however, made this promise to Planned Parenthood.
"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," said President Obama, believing that the legisltation would "end the culture wars."
Cultural Warfare
The dangers of FOCA include causing multiple repercussions which would have a wide and detrimental impact on Americans, including the closing of Catholic hospitals. According to Slate Magazine’s Melinda Henneberger, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) isn't bluffing.
Dionne writes that President Obama has echoed Bill Clinton's declaration that abortion should be "safe, legal and rare." While abortions did become more rare during Clinton's time, dropping 11 percent, "Clinton made no major public moves on abortion reduction, many pro-lifers who has been inclined his way felt he ignored the third word in his motto. There's no reason for Obama to make the same mistake--and no reason for advocates of abortion rights to get in the wayof his trying to build a new consensus. He should not lose his chance to make cultural warfare a quaint relic of the past."
The President’s Chance
Henneberger sums it up with, “At the very moment when Obama and his party have won the trust of so many Catholics who favor at least some limits on abortion, I hope he does not prove them wrong. I hope he does not make a fool out of that nice Doug Kmiec who led the pro-life charge on his behalf. I hope he does not spit on the rest of us—though I don't take him for the spitting sort—on his way in the door. I hope that his appointment of Ellen Moran, formerly of EMILY's List, as his communications director is followed by the appointment of some equally good Democrats who hold pro-life views. By supporting and signing the current version of FOCA, Obama would reignite the culture war he so deftly sidestepped throughout this campaign. This is a fight he just doesn't need at a moment when there is no shortage of other crises to manage.”
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