A Pro-Life, Pro-Choice Plan

Democrats are on the eroding side of the abortion debate. Although a majority of Americans believe abortions should be legal, many anti-abortion Democrats are abandoning the party because it appears that the Democrats are beyond pro-choice. They are pro-abortion. This is a false perception and it must be reversed. People need to know that abortions in this country have gone up since George Bush has been president. Under Clinton, they went down because the needs of women were better addressed. In 2003, there were over 1,350,000 abortions in America, up by 37,000 from 2000.

Nobody wants abortions. Abortion is a traumatic experience for any woman. But there are different ways to reduce abortions in this country without making the procedure illegal or unsafe as the conservative right would do. Democrats can attract anti-abortion voters back to their party and advance significant parts of their platform with a Pro-Life Plan. There is a chance to have it all.

In simple terms, a Pro-Life Plan should focus on not only supporting prevention but in advancing these four Democratic ideals: Education, economic opportunity, universal health care and the war on poverty.

1. Education. A Pro-Life Plan should not stop at sex education. It needs to include higher education. The more education a woman achieves, the less likely she will be to engage in unprotected sex.
2. Economic Opportunity. In addition to enhancing economic opportunities via higher education, Democrats need to propose a substantial increase in the minimum wage. Thousands of abortions occur in this country because women are barely making a substantive wage. By framing an increase in minimum wage as a weapon against abortion, and vice versa, it will be difficult for the religious right to link with corporate interests in opposition.
3. Universal Health Care. Senator John Kerry is introducing legislation to provide health care for all children. He should be reminding Americans that health care for children will reduce abortions because the lack of insurance is a key reason why many women abort a pregnancy. But Democrats should go further. By asking for universal health care, with prenatal care covered for all women, significant steps could be taken to reduce abortions. Although there are no published statistics to prove this, it is not hard to imagine how many women would conceive if they made more money and had guaranteed health care.
4. War on Poverty. This involves all we can do for the 35 million Americans and the billions around the world who are mired in poverty. If the war on poverty was also framed as a war on abortions, no doubt many of those single-issue voters who could not vote for John Kerry in 2004 would vote Democrat.

Additionally, Democrats need to take back the term Pro-Life. Besides adding the policies above to a pro-Life Plan, remind anti-Abortionists that the women's life is also effected, and God treasures all life equally, from the unborn child to a women unwilling or unable to bring a baby to term.

Of course, not all anti-abortion advocates will agree that meeting the needs of the prospective mothers is a better way to prevent abortions than throwing women and their doctors in jail. But many will, and they are the ones Democrats should welcome into the party.

Jim Forbes

January 22, 2005