Rethinking Abortion

The L.A. Times had an article Thursday about how the Democratic Party might try to redefine its position on abortion to appeal to many people who would otherwise, or at least be more inclined, to vote for Democrats if it weren't for their opposition to abortion:

"Party leaders say their support for preserving the landmark ruling will not change. But they are looking at ways to soften the hard line, such as promoting adoption and embracing parental notification requirements for minors and bans on late-term abortions. Their thinking reflects a sense among strategists that Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry and the party's congressional candidates lost votes because the GOP conveyed a more compelling message on social issues.

But in opening a discussion about new appeals to abortion opponents, party leaders are moving into uncertain terrain. Abortion rights activists are critical pillars of the Democratic Party, providing money and grass-roots energy. Some of them say they are concerned that Democratic leaders are entertaining any changes to the party's approach to abortion."

Altering the party's stance on abortion is anathema to a lot of liberals, but I, for one, do not think the party has to cede ground on the issue just because it alters its position. I don't think any reasonable people believe abortion should be completely unrestricted, what I believe many liberals and other abortion rights' advocates fear is, say, banning late-term abortions (nationally anyway, most are already banned by states as allowed by the USSC abortion rights rulings) would create a "slippery slope" that would chip away at abortion rights until there is nothing left. The thing is, is it not the right position? Does anyone really think late-term abortions can be justified? This kind of thinking is a major problem people have with liberals here and on other issues.

You see, I think a lot of time people vote for Republicans on the issue not because they are themselves conservative on abortion, but because they think Democrats are too liberal. In short, they'd rather vote for someone who favored too many restrictions than too few, because at least, in their mind, the question of life is being considered. Too many Democrats talk in language such as "women's rights" which means nothing to most people who believe a fetus is a life and some stage or another, and suggests to them Democrats are simply beholden to far-left social groups. So, in another sense, it is also a question of language and communication. Truthfully, many Democrats have these very moderate positions and the voting records to back them up, but they've, so far, not be in able to get this message out.

Other liberals will point out that a solid majority of Americans are pro-choice, so aren't we just selling out to a conservative minority? Well, no. Most people are pro-choice, but also want the kinds of restrictions listed above. Also, most people who are pro-choice, like with those who favor gun control, are already living in blue areas, but these issues are make-or-break in many of the other regions of the country we need to win over to be the majority again.

Many people also mistakenly come off thinking Democrats are "pro-abortion." That's thanks mostly to conservatives working to create that image, but again, as I explained above, Democrats have done a poor job explaining their views. Democrats should point to adoption programs, the lowered unwanted birth rate from successful sex ed programs, and that the number of abortions has increased under Republican rule because they have turned away from those things.

I am against parental notification, 24-hour waiting periods, etc. but those things are mostly state issues and that's where they should be fought. I would not want to see the national party embrace such things, of course.

But I also have no problem with Democrats being more accepting of pro-life Democrats. Republicans accept their pro-choice people, like Rudy Guiliani and Arnold Schwarzenegger, because they see the bigger picture. Many will say it's because they will do anything to win, even betray their own principles, and we should be more noble. That may well be true, but it works in suggesting to people Republicans are more accepting of different beliefs on social issues (although that probably couldn't be farther from the truth). Why shouldn't we also, for real, be accepting of different beliefs? Better a pro-life Democrat than a pro-life Republican, I say. As long as they are of the Harry Reid type, and not Zell Miller, we don't have to worry about the national party weaking its stance.

We could discuss the finer points of this issue for many blogs, but in summary, Democrats need to retake this issue. Most people aren't far-right on abortion, but they aren't far-left either. Democrats should never cede territory on this issue to conservatives, but they should make sure they have a honest to themselves (which is more often than not, moderate) position and that most people know about it. There's no reason Democrats should be losing on this issue. People are on our side. It's time we took advantage of that.