February 5, 2012

Thanks, Susan!

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Information, Abortion Law, Abortion Pill, Komen, Planned Parenthood | Tags: , , , , , , |
[79] Comments 
Komen Abortion

Komen Abortion

Well, the folks at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation really put their foot in it, didn’t they?

I’ve always thought they were a good group, those pink ribbon folks.  Great cause, raise lots of money, good PR machine.  But then they installed this Karen Handel as VP of Public Affairs and, as we’ve now discovered, she’s had a thing for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) for years.  When she ran for Governor in Georgia in 2010, she actually said that she is “pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood.”  What I can’t understand is why the board at the Foundation would hire someone with a clear right wing agenda in the first place.  What were they thinking?

Abortion

Abortion

So, somewhere along the line, the Foundation’s Board of Directors adopted a policy saying they would not fund any group that was “under investigation.”  Geez, I wonder who put that on the agenda?  Then, when the resolution was being discussed, at one point it was made clear that, if the Board adopted the new rule, the approximately $700,000 in annual funds to PPFA would be on the chopping block.  And this was all because some yahoo congressman from Florida named Cliff Stearns, a 100% right to lifer, held a hearing on PPFA’s financial practices in the hopes of trying to determine if they were using federal dollars to provide abortions.  I worked on Capitol Hill for years – I can tell you that Stearns’ prime motivation was not necessarily to uncover something, although that would have been a nice by-product for him, but rather to make a name for himself in the right to life community.  Then, you watch, very soon he will be going to them to ask for a few more extra campaign dollars.

Abortion

Abortion

Still, someone at the Foundation (guess who?) learned about this sham hearing and came up with the idea of using it to pursue an anti-PPFA agenda.  OMG!  They are being investigated (which if I recall is not a conviction).  Off with their heads!

Then the poop hit the fan.

The first thing I have to do is give the anti-abortion movement credit – they are tenacious.  They wake up I the morning trying to figure out another way to hurt women, uh, excuse me, save the babies and they do not let go.  And in this case, while I cannot prove it, their fingerprints are all over this decision by the Foundation.

But I don’t necessarily feel sorry for PPFA.  That’s because within hours, their own PR machine went into overdrive and the money started pouring in.  If you saw the implorations for money, you would have thought that thousands of women were standing in line to get mammograms (even though most PPFA clinics just refer for mammograms) and, unless folks sent money yesterday, those women would be left out in the cold.  And, as I write this, with the pre-pre-pre Super Bowl program in the background, PPFA has raised more money than the Komen folks were giving them in the first place and now we know that Komen has reversed their decision.

So, now that PPFA can get their money from Komen again, my only question is will they be returning all of the money that they raised?

Hmmmmmmm….

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January 29, 2012

Randy’s Back!

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Doctor Murder, Abortion Escorts, Abortion Information, Abortion Law, Abortion lies, Abortion Pill, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, Randall Terry | Tags: , , , |
[57] Comments 
Randall Terry Abortion

Randall Terry Abortion

Ole Randall Terry just can’t avoid the spotlight.

As many of you know, Terry was the founder and leader of Operation Rescue which for years literally struck terror in the hearts of abortion providers everywhere.  He first attracted national attention in 1991 when he organized the “Summer of Mercy,” which brought thousands of anti-abortion advocates to Wichita, Kansas where they set up camp right in front of the late Doctor George Tiller’s clinic.  Tiller and his staff courageously endured the onslaught but Terry got his headlines and raised a significant amount of money.

Abortion

Abortion

Then, in the years that followed, it seemed that several times each year his troops would descend on another abortion provider, blocking access to clinics, terrorizing staff and patients and garnering even more headlines.  But I have to give him credit.  As a staff person at the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, the minute we heard him announce that he was targeting yet another abortion clinic, we went into high alert.  Led by staff from the Fund for a Feminist Majority, help was sent to the clinic to prepare staff for the mayhem that was on its way.

Abortion Access

Abortion Access

The irony is that Terry and his crew got so out of hand that the Congress ultimately passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which practically shut down Terry’s operations.  Also, to make matters worse, Terry started veering off message a little, targeting homosexuals and Muslims.  Then, a series of personal indignities surfaced.  We learned that his son was gay, his daughter had sex outside of marriage and became pregnant.  She had a miscarriage and is reportedly no longer welcome in his home.  Then his other daughter had two children outside of wedlock and became a Muslim.  Finally, Terry himself was ultimately censured by his church after admitting that he had committed adultery.

Abortion

Abortion

Okay, now pick yourself up off the floor and stop laughing.

And now, guess what, Terry is back in the news!   Yup – he is running for President of the United States.  If you can believe it, he is actually “challenging” the most “pro-abortion President in U.S. history”, Barack Obama, in the Democratic primaries.  Yeah, I can’t figure that one out either.  Indeed, a few weeks ago I was channel surfing and happened upon a “debate” featuring the “lesser known Democratic candidates” for president.  Very kooky stuff.  And Terry was actually the most articulate of the group but the problem was that I couldn’t take my eyes off the candidate sitting next to him because he was wearing a big boot on his head and practically spoke in tongues.  At the end of the debate, the boot head sprinkled “fairy dust” all over Terry.

Keep your own house in order

Keep your own house in order

But Terry is looking to make more news.  He is currently trying to raise money to show a graphic anti-abortion ad to be played during the Super Bowl.  He is exploiting an FCC rules that prohibits censorship of “political” ads within 45 days of a primary. The ad will feature the usual dubious photos of alleged aborted fetuses.  And, as Terry well knows himself, the ads will have no impact and, in fact, will cause more people to turn against him and his cause.  But that’s okay because this is not about the cause, it’s all about Randall Terry.

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January 22, 2012

Another Anniversary

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Centers, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Information, Abortion Late, Abortion Law, Abortion Pill, Abortion Rights, FACE Act, FACE law, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Methotrexate, Roe V Wade Anniversary, RU486 | Tags: , , , , , , , |
[34] Comments 
Abortion

Abortion

Well, it’s January 22nd, yet another anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade which legalized abortion in this country and started a controversy that will never subside.  Please note that I say the Court “legalized” abortion – I didn’t say that they invented abortion.

I live about 8 miles south of Washington, D.C. and I’ve already noticed a number of buses pouring into town with their pro-life signs hanging from their sides.  Indeed, as I write this tens of thousands of anti-abortion advocates are standing in the freezing rain listening to the same speeches that they’ve been listening to for years.  They will hold their rallies then very soon start their march up Constitution Avenue to the U.S. Supreme Court.  They’ll be more rallies, bullhorns, prayer vigils, speak outs, women who all of a sudden “regret” their abortions.  You name it, there’s something for everyone.

Abortion

Abortion

Meanwhile, in much smaller numbers there will be the usual pro-choice “counter” events that are designed to make sure that in tomorrow’s newspapers or tonight’s news shows, there will be a pro-choice presence as well.  Also, there will be the inevitable debate not about the issue but about how many people attended the rallies.

Around and around it goes, and for all of these years practically nothing has changed.  The only thing for certain is that the number of abortions has gone down for a number of years and it is practically impossible to say why.   Personally, I just have to believe that it’s because women, particularly younger ones, are simply more educated when it comes to birth control.   But, yes, another reason may be that there continues to be an abortion stigma and single parenthood seems more acceptable these days.

Abortion

Abortion

One thing that pro-choicers will cite is the constant legislative “attacks” on a woman’s right to have an abortion.  And, yes, the pro-lifers are taking advantage of the more conservative climate in many state legislatures but a lot of those laws deal with “informing” women of the “humanity” of the fetus, making them look at silly pictures.  These laws do not seem to really have much of an impact.  Then, there are a few clinics that have actually closed, mainly because as the number of patients decrease, some clinics are hurt and find they cannot pay the rent, equipment leases, and payroll.  Like all businesses, they are affected by the number of “customers.”

Abortion Pill

Abortion Pill

And then, as Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank recently pointed out, organizations on both sides continue their decades-long pursuit of dollars.  It seems that both sides always feel a need to send out fundraising letters with large, red lettering and lots of exclamation points.  The now famous “personhood bill” is a good example.  We’re gonna see the proposal in a number of states but, really folks, if it didn’t pass in Mississippi, what state will pass the damn thing?

The bottom line is 39 years later, (less) women are still getting abortions and the clinics stand ready to serve them.

Bravo.

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January 15, 2012

“Black Genocide?”

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Centers, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Information, Abortion Law, Abortion Medical, Abortion Pill, Abortion Rights, Abortion RU486, Black Genocide | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
[59] Comments 
Abortion Martin Luther King

Abortion Martin Luther King

Since we are celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King weekend….

A short while ago, Republican Congressman Trent Franks announced that he would soon introduce legislation that would, among other things, prohibit women from having an abortion if it was because of the child’s race.  The bill is called – take a deep breath – the “Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2011.”  Not sure why he didn’t throw in the name of Francis Scott Key, but that’s between him and his maker.

Franks Abortion

Franks Abortion

Franks noted that abortion is the greatest cause of death of African Americans and he added that this “will be the civil rights struggle that will define our generation.”  What a guy!  Then, the ever-present “Concerned Women for America” chimed in saying “it is horrific that in America today babies are being killed based on their race…”  Finally,  and here’s the real kicker, Pat Mahoney, another anti-abortion leader, added “you can walk into a clinic and get an abortion if you find out your child is African American.”  Think about that statement for a second.

Anti Abortion, Kill the Mother Politics

Anti Abortion, Kill the Mother Politics

The facts:  according to the pro-choice Alan Guttmacher Institute, the abortion rate for black women is almost five times that for white women and for Hispanics.  I don’t know why that is true, but it is.  And, of course, our goal is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies amongst all races.

But, the first problem with this legislation is that it makes a big assumption (something the anti-abortion advocates do a lot because they have never been inside a clinic).  It assumes that when women are counseled before the abortion, they are asked why they are having it.  That ain’t the case folks.  Unless the woman brings the issue up herself, the doctor does not know why the woman is aborting.  Yes, if a woman volunteers that she is aborting because the fetus is black, then the doctor will be prohibited from performing the abortion.  But, sorry Mr. Franks, but you ain’t gonna “save any babies” because the woman, now aware of the law, will simply go to a different clinic and just not share the reason why she is aborting.

Mr. Franks and others like to suggest that abortion clinics are “targeting” the black community and engaging in “black genocide.”

Puleeeze.

The people who own and run abortion facilities are trying to help women.  At the same time they are running – dare I say it – a business.  They incorporate, they pay taxes, they hire people, they buy equipment, they advertise, they do everything that the local burger place or dry cleaners does.   And, if they are smart they locate their facility in a spot that has enough population to allow them to pay the bills.  And some locate their facilities in predominantly black areas.

But it’s not what Mr. Franks thinks.  In 2008, 63 percent of abortion clinics — defined as providers of 400 or more abortions annually — were located in predominantly white neighborhoods while 12 percent were located in neighborhoods where one-half or more of the residents are Hispanic. Only 9 percent were located in predominantly black neighborhoods.  So much for the “campaign” to wipe out the black population.

Sanger Abortion

Sanger Abortion

And before anyone tells me how Margarget Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was out to wipe out the black race, don’t even go there.  She may have made some very unfortunate comments at a time when racism was still very rampant in this country, but don’t tell me that today when a Planned Parenthood staff person goes to work, they are quoting Margaret Sanger and looking for pregnant black women in the hopes of convincing them to abort.  How silly.  .

No, Congressman Franks is just playing the race card with the hopes of convincing African Americans that the Republican Party cares about them.

What a bunch of horse-hockey.

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January 13, 2012

Abortion.com – Find a Provider for Abortion Care

Posted by Elena Carvin under Abortion, Abortion Blog, Abortion Discussion, Abortion Medical, Abortion Pill, Methotrexate | Tags: , , , |
[2,050] Comments 

Abortion

Abortion.com Find an Abortion Provider

Call for a provider near you (800) 804-8868

Abortion Care – Abortion Pill – Abortion Medical – Late Term Abortion

 

January 8, 2012

Again, Pensacola

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Candidates, Abortion Escorts, Abortion Heroes, Abortion Information, Abortion Late, Abortion Pill | Tags: , , , , |
[91] Comments 
Dr. David murdered by Pro Life Terrorists

Dr. David murdered by Pro Life Terrorists

In March, 1994, members of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers held a memorial event in Pensacola, Florida at the site where, a year earlier, Doctor David Gunn was gunned down by an anti-abortion assassin.  At the event, Doctor Gunn’s son, David, Jr., spoke with great eloquence but I will never forget him welcoming the group to what he called “the paranoia that is Pensacola.”

There was good reason to be paranoid in Pensacola, especially if you were a provider of abortion services.  Before Doctor Gunn’s murder, the abortion clinics in that city had been the target of considerable anti-abortion violence.  For example, in 1984 Matthew Goldsby and James Simmons bombed the Ladies Center with a pipe bomb on June 25.  That forced the clinic to relocate and six months later on Christmas Day, they bombed the center again at its new location.  As if that was not enough, they also set on fire two other private physician offices where the doctors performed abortions.  They were convicted and sentenced to ten years but only served about half their terms.

Insanity of Anti Abortion People

Insanity of Anti Abortion People

Over the years, the Ladies Center remained the target of massive anti-abortion protests and regular Saturday vigils by locals such as John Burt and one Paul Hill.  Then, just a few months after NCAP’s memorial event, Hill killed John Britton, a doctor who provided abortions at the Ladies Center and James Barrett, a volunteer who escorted patients, as they arrived in the clinic parking lot. Barrett’s wife, June, also was wounded.  Hill was executed for the crime in 2003.

And now it has happened again.

Anti Abortion people are happy to let women die

Anti Abortion people are happy to let women die

In case you missed it – and it was easy to miss because the press totally ignored it – on January 1, Mr. Bobby Joe Rogers set on fire the Ladies Center, which had been renamed the “American Family Planning Clinic.”  It caused about $300,000 in damages, gutting the clinic.  It is reported that he merely filled a beer bottle with gasoline and used an old shirt as a wick. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the fire.

Bobby Joe certainly fits the profile of the anti-abortion terrorist.  He was homeless and participated in the almost daily protests.  One person who hung out with Rogers said that “Rogers admitted to intentionally setting fire to the clinic due to his strong disbelief in abortion.”  He added that “he stated (he) was further fueled when he recently witnessed a young female entering the clinic while he was sitting amongst anti-abortion protesters.”  Rogers has a past arrest record spanning nine states from the Southeast to the Midwest with felony convictions in Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri for burglary and in Mississippi for grand larceny.

Abortion.com

Abortion.com

The good news is that, as opposed to past events in Pensacola, the federal government responded immediately and they got their man.  But what I can’t fathom, and what has bothered me for years, is do these idiots really think they are “saving babies?”  Is it really abortion that they are targeting?   Or are they just losers looking to get their name in the papers?  I ask because, if they gave it any thought (which may be stretching it for them), they would realize that bombing an abortion clinic or killing an abortion doctors does not “save babies.”   Sure that particular clinic may now be closed for a while but, guess what, those women who might have gone to that center will simply make an appointment at the OTHER center a few miles away.  And if they blow that one up, the women will then travel over to Mobile and get an abortion.

The disappearance of an abortion facility does not stop abortion, it does not “save babies.”  If these domestic terrorists say that’s why they did it, they’re full of it.  They are just miscreants who are either totally delusional about how things work (a good possibility) or they are just looking to make a name for themselves within the anti-abortion movement.  It’s all so sick.

What the hell is it with Pensacola?

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January 1, 2012

Perry’s Cynical Ploy

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Candidates, Abortion Information, PersonHood USA | Tags: |
[19] Comments 
Perry Abortion

Perry Abortion

Okay, I admit it – I am actually starting to feel sorry for Rick Perry.

As you know, Texas Governor Rick Perry is one of the thousands of people vying for the Republican nomination for President.  Early in the process, he held back for a while to let the others do their thing, then with great fanfare he entered the race, figuring all of the others would step aside in his triumphant wake.  Well it didn’t work out the way he hoped it would.  A few gaffes here and there, a brain fart that went viral, a very bizarre speech in New Hampshire and his numbers dropped dramatically.

So, here we are just two days from the first test, the Iowa caucuses, and he is stuck in fourth or fifth place.  The Sword of Damocles is dangling precariously over his head.  So, a few days ago he figures he needs to do something dramatic to prove to those right wing nuts who basically run the caucus process that he is the really, really, true, consistent conservative in the race.  So, what better issue to stake out a claim then abortion?

Perry has been around politics for a long time so he has had to face the abortion issue in many capacities, particularly as Governor.  And, to his credit, he has been rather consistent.  He has always opposed abortions except if the mother’s life was endangered and in the cases of rape or incest.  No, don’t get me started on why it should be okay to “kill a baby” if the father is a rapist, but he has staked out that position for years.  Then, suddenly, a week before the caucus, Rick Perry has seen the light!  Praise the Lord!

Abortion

Abortion

Now he is saying, wait a minute, I don’t think abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest!  To what can we attribute this startling, pre-right-wing caucus conversion?   Well, Perry says now that he had a “change of heart” after watching a movie called “The Gift of Life.”  Reportedly, after the movie Perry “started giving some thought about the issue of rape and incest” and when he talked to “Personhood USA” spokeswoman Rebecca Kissling, who was featured in the movie, her story “pierced [my] heart.”  It seems that Ms Kissling was a product of a rape.

“We had a fairly lengthy and heartfelt conversation about how she was conceived in rape,” Perry said, “and I couldn’t come up with an answer to defend the exceptions.”

How convenient.  After all of these years, Perry has now decided to really think about this issue and, voila, he is now coincidentally taking the position that is supported by the radical anti-abortion crowd.  Later, to make his conversion even more “credible,” he added that he believed that “God was working in my heart.”  Always remember, it’s okay to change your mind on a fundamental issue like abortion, to have an affair or to commit any other sin as long as you then have the conversation with God and ask him to forgive you – unless, of course, you are a left wing liberal and then you are going straight to hell.

This one incident forces me to say something about Senator Rick Santorum, who is creeping up in the polls – at least he has been consistent.  He has always opposed abortion in cases of rape and incest and he has always been outspoken about his desire to outlaw abortion.  I don’t like it, but I have to respect his consistency.  And maybe that’s why he is picking up steam.  Maybe the conservatives are realizing that he is a very consistent conservative unlike Gingrich, Romney and Perry.

In the long run, however, forcing the Republican nominees way to the right is only good news for President Obama.  Right now, he is sitting there licking his chops, knowing that positions like Perry’s will only frighten the independents who will be so crucial in November.

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December 18, 2011

Boring!

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Escorts, Abortion Information, Abortion Late, Doctor Carhart, Germantown Reproductive Health Services, Todd Stave, Voice of Choice | Tags: , , , , , , |
[6] Comments 
Abortion

Abortion

A short while ago, I got the word that there would be a “big protest” in front of Germantown Reproductive Health Services, an abortion clinic in Maryland.  It’s the clinic where Doctor Lee Carhart works a few days a week.  It had become a “famous” gathering site because Doctor Carhart performs later abortions.  It had been years since I actually saw a protest and a while since I had talked to Lee, so I decided to drive up to the event.

Abortion

Abortion

When I make the left hand turn off the main road that morning, I was immediately confronted by the usual “Big Dead Fetus Truck,” as we used to call them.  I am, of course, used to the pictures but I couldn’t help thinking about a mother and her child innocently turning that same corner and seeing this ugliness.

It was a big crowd, maybe four hundred anti-abortion protestors.  They were standing on the sidewalk in front of a large office complex and the clinic itself was in the back, not visible to the protestors.  What struck me right away was the silence.  I have been so used to loud, blaring bullhorns, people screaming at the patients, escorts and staff at the top of their lungs.  This event, however, was different and it seemed like anti-abortion activists may be exploring different ways of making their point.  Except for the truck, there were no other gross signs.  People weren’t screaming.  Instead they were singing and praying quietly in groups.  Some were carrying signs, but they were mostly signs about “regretting” ones abortion and other low-key messages.

There were several county police cars patrolling the area and I do have to say that I was disturbed to see them just watching a woman near the car entry way practically stopping card by holding out brochures for them to take.  I felt it was obstructing vehicular traffic, but the police let it go.

I wanted to visit Doctor Carhart, so I walked up to a police car.  They were understandably suspicious of who I was so I told them I would call Lee from my mobile phone.  I got him right away and he said of course I could come in.  So, I just told the police and they waived me in.  Later, I got chills thinking that I could have been a clever assassin who really wasn’t talking to Lee Carhart.  Yes, I still might have had a tough time actually entering the clinic because they had a buzzer system, but I also could have just waited right outside the clinic door where there were absolutely no cops.

I had a pleasant meeting with Lee and his wife.  While he was certainly aware of the scene outside, Lee is used to the attention and it doesn’t phase him at all.  We talked about his work, how the clinic was doing, conventions he would be going to and speaking engagements.  He was, as always, very laid back, almost like the “country doctor.”

When I left the clinic, I hung around, not talking to anyone except a few pro-choicers across the street, including Todd Stave, the founder of Voice of Choice, a group that organizes hundreds of phone calls to particularly aggressive anti-abortion protestors.  Then, I dove back into the crowd and, to be perfectly honest, was totally bored.

And I guess “boring” is okay in a situation like this.  They are exercising their right to free speech, they are not threatening anyone.  The cops are there to keep the peace if necessarily (although a little loosely) and every woman got to the clinic with no incidents.

Sometimes boring is good.

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December 11, 2011

A Sticky Wicket for the President

Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion Information, morning after pill | Tags: , , |
[27] Comments 
Abortion Rights Sebelius

Abortion Rights Sebelius

The pro-choice groups are understandably up in arms over HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ decision to overrule the FDA and prohibit the “morning after pill” from being available over the counter to minors.  By now, they have issued their press releases condemning the action and personally castigating President Obama.   Some groups, like Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health have been particularly aggressive, which is part of their relatively new effort to convince others that they are now a leading advocacy organization (i.e., “please send us money because we’re really fighting for you”).  But I digress.

The day after the decision the President – the pro-choice president – said that he agreed with Sebelius, expressing concern that a young girl might not use the medication properly.  Suddenly, he was the Father in Chief, clearly thinking about thirteen year old daughter, Malia.

Morning After Pill?

Morning After Pill?

I am going to assume that Obama knew what Sibelius wanted to do.  I mean, c’mon folks, do you really think that she would make that kind of decision without discussing it with the President?  So, if you accept the assumption that they discussed it before hand, the question then becomes was Obama’s decision to support Sibelius based on science or politics?

Actually, that question is too simple.  It suggests that the President or any other politician only examines an issue from one perspective.  But the President (and some of those other politicians) is actually a smart guy and he can analyze an issue from several perspectives.  Heck, he does it all the time.

Abortion Rights

Abortion Rights

From the substantive point of view, he is a father first.  He’s got two young daughters who may soon be having sexual thoughts.  And Obama clearly had to be thinking about the possibility (although highly unlikely) of his daughters going down the drugstore one day to get a box of these pills.  Then, he must have envisioned them in a state of panic taking the wrong dosage or not being physically capable of taking the drug.  He must have projected his fatherly perspective to the thousands and thousands of other fathers (and mothers) who might ultimately be in the same situation.

Then there was the political side of the issue.  It’s no secret that it will be a tough re-election and he has to woo a number of interest groups, including the Catholics and independents.  The problem is that many, if not most, Catholics believe these pills cause an abortion.  Now, if they really thought it through, versus simply taking marching orders from a virgin Pope, they would realize that the pills actually prevent an abortion on a developing fetus.  But that’s another story.  Meanwhile, Obama must have dreamt about the commercials from Newt or Mitt painting him as promoting promiscuity among little teenage girls (cue the dark foreboding music).

Continuing his political analysis, there is his relationship with the pro-choice groups, which has been somewhat strained because of the health care “surrender” and a few other issues.  He certainly knew that he would piss them off if he supported the Secretary’s decision, but he is also smart enough to know that the pro-choice groups have no place to go.  Let’s face it, they cannot support someone who wants to reverse Roe v. Wade, so pro-choicers would have to at least vote for him.  The calculated risk he took was whether or not he would make them less enthusiastic about his campaign?  Would they withhold money from him, not work on the campaign, not run independent commercials like they did in 2008?  He probably concluded what I would have concluded:  that when they hear the Republican nominee talking about banning abortion and the polls are a dead heat, they’ll forget this little tussle and will jump on the bandwagon.

His position on this controversial issue is risky and it’s hard to say whether substance or politics ruled the day.  But we need Obama to be re-elected so, as much as I hate to say it, I think he made the right decision.

Ugh.

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