Stirring the Pot - How Has Obama Done on Choice?
By Rachel Walden — May 11, 2011
We’re all pretty used to hearing about anti-choice, anti-reproductive justice Republican proposals that do little to promote the health of all women, but how is our current Democratic President doing on these issues? That is the theme explored by the current issue of Conscience, the magazine of Catholics for Choice, which explores the question of President Obama’s record of pro-choice action.
In the first essay, Jodi Jacobsen of RH Reality Check asks, “Is Obama Prochoice?” and focuses on the topic by looking at the President’s actions related to the stimulus package, healthcare reform debates, the murder of Dr. Tiller, and other events. Her conclusion? “Is Obama Prochoice? Not by my definition.”
Other authors discuss the need for a true “champion” of reproductive rights, express disappointment in Obama’s approach to HIV/AIDS, decry the continuance of financial support of abstinence-only programs, and explore USAID approaches, faith-based initiatives, and other topics.
The issue also includes a review of the book “Willing and Unable: Doctors’ Constraints in Abortion Care,” which we wrote about last June, as well as a few other relevant books that may be of interest to readers.
So what’s your take? Has Obama lived up to your pro-choice expectations? Do we have any real leverage on these issues in the 2012 elections? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Where did we get all our expectations? We’ve always had our hopes, I think, and after Bush and his “Office of Faith-Based Initiatives”, we hoped for a government of sanity and safety for all citizens. But Obama did get rid of the “gag rule” in the first week of his presidency, didn’t he? I remember weeping when I heard that. Then I really began to hope…