President Barack Obama will give new meaning to “abortion on demand” when he takes control of the White House.
According to the incoming president, one of the first things he will do when he takes office is enact the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)—a promise he made in a campaign speech delivered to Planned Parenthood back in July 2007. And the liberal Democrat will most likely not go back on his word.
FOCA is consistent with Mr. Obama’s voting record against any kind of restrictions on abortion—including those for late-term abortions. FOCA will codify Roe v. Wade by eliminating all federal, state and local restrictions to abortion. States will have easier access to government funding with the removal of previous limitations. Parental notification will also be waived and state laws protecting doctors and nurses, who, in good conscience, refuse to participate in the procedure, will also be abolished.
Since 1989, limitations on abortion have been enforced. In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, the Supreme Court upheld a Missouri law that imposed restrictions on the use of state funds, facilities and employees in performing or assisting with abortions. In 1992, the Supreme Court also mandated similar restrictions in Casey v. Planned Parenthood in which parental consent, informed consent and waiting period laws were upheld.
These restrictions have had a significant impact on reducing the number of abortions. According to a study by The Heritage Foundation, approximately 125,000 fewer abortions a year are performed due to these limitations. States where there are abortion laws for parental involvement, informed consent and funding have significantly less abortions than states where no such restrictions exist. Hence, there is no doubt that by signing FOCA into law, abortions will dramatically rise.
Mr. Obama has vowed to reduce the number of abortions. Yet his empty rhetoric fails to reconcile with his adamant support of a woman’s right to choose and his pro-abortion voting record. His pick of numerous pro-choice candidates for key positions in his administration—Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel—reinforces his pro-choice stance and lack of concern for pro-life supporters. According to an ABC News and Washington Post poll in July 2008, 44 percent of Americans want all abortions to be illegal, except in cases of rape, incest and a threat to the mother’s life. This is a four-point increase from a similar poll taken a few months earlier in January 2008. This new pro-life shift, however small, shows a deep-rooted concern for the dignity of life at conception.
Mr. Obama has also made no secret of his opposition to the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortions except in cases of rape and incest. This important legislation has saved millions of lives since its introduction in 1976. Democrats and pro-choice groups are expected to attempt to repeal this amendment. According to Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, “the alignment of a hard-core pro-abortion president with pro-abortion Democratic majorities in Congress means that many existing pro-life policies are now in great jeopardy.”
Moreover, health care reform threatens to erode pro-life policies currently in place. Mr. Obama is against the regulation George W. Bush enacted at the end of the year that prohibits health care providers who refuse to participate in abortion to be discriminated against for federal funding. Congress is poised to introduce a new regulation that could reverse this law.
Mr. Obama would be prudent to shift his focus from appeasing radical feminists and left-wing activists, and instead take stock of the alarming message that abortion policies send society—in particular, the destructive effect FOCA will have on teenagers. By eliminating parental notification, teenagers can bypass chastisement from their parents. More importantly, it allows teenagers to abnegate responsibility for their actions and further reinforces the toxic message that personal gratification and sex without consequences trumps all. But perhaps most disturbing is that young pregnant women will miss an invaluable opportunity to get advice on carrying their baby to term and opting for adoption. In the United States alone, there are more than 100,000 children waiting to be adopted. According to a study by the National Survey of Family Growth, there are more than half a million women waiting to adopt a child. How tragic that the million babies expected to be aborted this year will not find their way into the arms of women yearning to be mothers.
But pro-life supporters are not alone. In protest to FOCA, U.S. Catholic bishops are sponsoring a nationwide postcard campaign on January 24. Postcards will be sent to members of Congress urging them to oppose this legislation that will enshrine abortion on demand.
By supporting FOCA, the Democratic Party is fast becoming the Party of Death. The late Pope John Paul II wisely noted that “a nation that kills its own children is a nation without a future.” The calls for “hope” and “change” that Mr. Obama promised on the campaign trail will soon come to an end if FOCA is enacted. Unborn babies deserve to have their voices heard and to see the light of day. A just and humane society will fight to make sure they do. Future generations depend on it.
-Loredana Vuoto is president of Eloquence, LLC, a speechwriting and writing services firm in Washington, DC.
