November is National Adoption Month and this Saturday is National Adoption Day.
I have been thinking that one strategy in framing a new Democratic message is to advocate for Positive Actions. Bush has paid lip service to adoption as an abortion alternative, but annually abortions outpace adoptions by a factor of 6.5 to 1 (1.3 million vs 200,000).
Should the Democrats develop this issue further? The GOP has amazingly succeeded in framing the abortion question chiefly around "partial-birth" abortions, which constitute a very small percentage of abortions. Campaigning loudly for more adoptions and changes in adoption processes to facilitate more would bring the spotlight back to the great majority of abortion cases.
A tag line might be: "Give women a chance--not a prison cell or a back alley abortion." Or something similar that doubles as a reminder that what the consequences the public faces given increased bans on abortion.
Our stance on abortion has focused almost exclusively on the privacy rights of women. I am not advocating any change in position, but a possible change of focus.
Would focusing on adopting "unwanted pregnancies" highlight a feel-good theme that can unite both sides of the divisive abortion issue? Does it underline the hypocrisy of the far-right (do you know a single "prolife" advocate who has adopted an unwanted pregancy? I don't.)
Some risks though: Diverting willing adoptive parents to prevent abortions might hurt the 120,000 or so foster kids waiting for adoptive parents.
I'm just opening the dialogue on this.
Some of the more Machiavellian among us might prefer to see Roe v Wade overturned in order to drive the issue front and center state by state in expectations that the GOP would suffer. I'm not so sure that's a consequence we can bank on.