After Thursday's debate, I was unsettled by Obama's answer to the SCOTUS upholding the federal ban on partial birth abortions question. He said he "trusts women" to make decisions about abortion, and that "clergy and family" should be involved in those decisions. The answer sounded reasonable enough, but something about Obama's answer niggled at me, and I needed to figure out why. To that end, I began to research the top netroots ( Edwards and Obama) candidates' stances on partial birth abortion, and their histories on women's right to choose. I am not including Hillary because, while she is top tier, she is not a netroots candidate. Hillary is a DLC corporatist.
Now to the discussion at hand...
When the SCOTUS upheld the federal partial abortion ban, the candidates issued these statements.
Obama:
strongly disagree with today's Supreme Court ruling, which dramatically departs from previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women. As Justice Ginsburg emphasized in her dissenting opinion, this ruling signals an alarming willingness on the part of the conservative majority to disregard its prior rulings respecting a woman's medical concerns and the very personal decisions between a doctor and patient.
I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman's right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women.
and Edwards:
I could not disagree more strongly with today's Supreme Court decision. The ban upheld by the Court is an ill-considered and sweeping prohibition that does not even take account for serious threats to the health of individual women. This hard right turn is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election. Too much is at stake - starting with, as the Court made all too clear today, a woman's right to choose.
The candidates' US Senate votes on abortion issues:
Edwards:
Date Bill Title Vote
10/21/99 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1999 Voted No
(page no longer available)
Obama:
Official Title of Legislation: Voted Yes
S AMDT 244 to S Con Res 18: To expand access to preventive health care services that reduce unintended pregnancy (including teen pregnancy), reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's health care.
Project Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to adopt an amendment to the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year Budget that allocates $100 million for the prevention of unintended pregnancies.
Highlights:
- Increases funding and access to family planning services
- Funds legislation that requires equitable prescription coverage for contraceptives under health plans
- Funds legislation that would create and expand teen pregnancy prevention programs and education programs concerning emergency contraceptives
OK, but, from the perspective of a woman, a registered nurse, and a former Director of Surgical Services for a women's hospital, Obama's debate answer still troubled me. As I dug deeper, I began to reflect on the women I had encountered over my thirty two years as a surgical nurse, those who had to make the agonizing decision to have a partial birth abortion. Those whose hands I held during the procedure, who were not under general anesthesia, but rather IV sedation.
We all know how horrible partial birth abortions are, and I'll spare you the gory details. Yet, when a woman's health and/or life are jeopardized by pregnancy, she must have the right to make the decision about what to do. As a new blogger on John Edwards' blog said recently, "five old men making the decision about the bodies of 150 million American women" is morally wrong. We cannot let this latest decision become the beginning of the end of Roe v Wade.
Much to my disappointment, I found some unsettling information about Obama's record on women's right to choose. From the Rothenburg Report, February, 2007:
OBAMA TOOK A PASS ON SEVEN CHOICE VOTES IN THE ILLINOIS STATE SENATE
As A State Senator, Obama Voted "Present" Seven Times on Bills Involving a Woman’s Right to Choose. In a February 2007 column, Rothenberg Report political editor Nathan Gonzales noted that while a member of the State Senate, Obama voted "present" on a number of bills related to a woman’s right to choose. "[In] 1997, Obama voted ‘present’ on two bills (HB 382 and SB 230) that would have prohibited a procedure often referred to as partial birth abortion," Rothenberg wrote. "In 2001, Obama voted ‘present’ on two parental notification abortion bills (HB 1900 and SB 562), and he voted ‘present’ on a series of bills (SB 1093, 1094, 1095) that sought to protect a child if it survived a failed abortion ... In his book, the Audacity of Hope, on page 132, Obama explained his problems with the ‘born alive’ bills, specifically arguing that they would overturn Roe v. Wade. But he failed to mention that he only felt strongly enough to vote ‘present’ on the bills instead of ‘no.’" Gonzales also wrote, "Voting ‘present’ is one of three options in the Illinois Legislature (along with ’yes’ and ’no’), but it's almost never an option for the occupant of the Oval Office." [Rothenberg Report, 2/16/07]
http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blo...
Rothenberg Report Editor: Obama "Essentially Took A Pass" On Tough Votes. In a February 2007 column, Rothenberg Report political editor Nathan Gonzales observed that "Because it takes affirmative votes to pass legislation in the Illinois Senate, a "present" vote is tantamount to a ‘no’ vote. A ‘present; vote is generally used to provide political cover for legislators who don't want to be on the record against a bill that they oppose." Gonzales said that instead of taking a position on the bills and potentially alienating constituents, "the Illinois legislator-turned-U.S. senator and, now, Democratic presidential hopeful essentially took a pass." [Rothenberg Report, 2/16/07]
http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blo... (emphasis mine)
And there it is. That's what bothered me. Equivocation, patronization. "Trust" of women is wholly different from giving women one's total support. In my opinion, Obama has a question mark beside his name. Ladies, our candidate for president cannot have that question mark next to his name. As women, our very lives depend on it.
The much demanded update!!! Obama's quote in the WaPo!!!
Obama was a steady supporter of abortion rights, said Pam Sutherland, Planned Parenthood's chief lobbyist in Springfield, although he caught flak from the political left in 2004 as he ran for the U.S. Senate.
The reason was a series of votes on such issues as late-term abortion and parental notification when Obama voted "present" instead of yea or nay. He said he was not tacking toward the center, but an opponent in the Democratic primary sent mailers portraying a rubber duck and proclaiming, "He ducked!"
Obama said his votes helped provide cover for other legislators. Sutherland said the votes were part of a strategy designed with Obama's help to deny Republicans easy campaign sound bites.
"The Republicans loved to put out legislation all the time that would put their opponents in a trick box during the elections," Sutherland said. "It was a strong statement to those who promoted bad legislation that we're not going to take this; you can't use this against us."
Staff writer Kari Lydersen contributed to this report.