President Obama and his moderate Evangelical friends want to shift the discussion on abortion to how all of us can come together to reduce the need for abortions. Sounds great. It’s a noble goal. There’s just one problem.
If President Obama and his “reducing abortions” coalition really are serious about this, then he’s going to have to get bi-partisan and that is where it gets a little sticky.
First of all, the bills out there now on “reducing abortions” also call for increasing contraception awareness and funds. That’s a problem for conservative Evangelicals. In addition, there is a solid intellectual argument to be made about how parental notification bills also can contribute to reducing abortions. Will Obama and his “friends” find some wiggle room on this?
The point here is that if moderate Evangelicals want the debate on abortion to shift away from the toxic Roe V Wade Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice cultural war of the past then they are going to have to meet religious conservatives in the middle. Let’s face it. The Democratic Party and their leadership have been pretty consistent in voting for pro-choice legislation and against bills like parental notification that are considered pro-life. Where’s the give? Will President Obama take the lead? Will he push back against his own party? That’s the true test here if any legislation on reducing abortions is going to make it through Congress.