Senator Obama just said in the presidential debate that he wants to unite around common ground in preventing unwanted pregnancies. Frankly, I can never take that apparent olive branch seriously as long as the person offering it wants to expand federal funding of abortion, eliminate any existing restriction on abortion, and actually manufacture more nascent human beings only to be destroyed for their parts. Common ground should take into consideration ALL the lives involved when there's an abortion. You must read this careful, sober evaluation of Sentor Obama's position on abortion and the unborn by a man who is not given to overstatement. I just can't take seriously any social justice platform that doesn't include protecting the lives and rights of the tiniest, weakest, most innocent and vulnerable humans. I'm willing to talk about a broader social justice platform if the five million unborn children slaughtered every year are included. Surely, that is fundamental to social justice.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Common Ground on Abortion?
Melinda at STR.org:
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OK - in response to this post and others and when you wanted me to respond back: I think what it all really boils down to for me - more than anything else or my stance one way or another - is how turned off, disappointed, and tired I am, (and so many others) in the evangelical/pro-life side style of rhetoric, careless and distorted use of facts, and use of "pathetic/emotional laden appeals" in it's rhetoric. For the most part, all of this is rather pointless, preaching to the choir if you will, and serves to do no positive good what so ever in trying to actually SOLVE the problem. It has served only to alienate and divide. It has not helped to bring together people from every walk to form a solution. It has created an unhealthy "us vs. them" mentality. I'm just not sure this is how Christ would have us approach this situation. (Could you see the disciples acting in such a way and Jesus' reaction?) Regardless of whether I like Obama or not, I don't care for the way he has been painted by the Christian/Pro-life side. (use of words like "baby killer/infanticide, etc.") It's extremist, not accurate to what I see of his character and reasoning. He may have a flawed stance on this that you and I don't agree with. But I don't care who it is on either side - I don't like to see this kind of rhetoric used against anyone.
For example - Take a recent fact check column from a local ABC news station talking about the bornalivetruth.org video featuring Gianna Jessen. She claimed that she would "not be alive if she had been born under Obama's abortion stance" Factcheck determined this to be a false claim - Illinois law already in place would have clearly protected her birth. (Obama referenced this law btw in last night's debate.)
But what I resonate more with is this statement from fact check below:
"The ad makes use of a rhetorical tactic known as a "pathetic appeal," meaning it employs pathos, an appeal to people's emotions. Jessen discusses her own history and calls for Obama to recognize her "right to live," putting an emotional face on a political issue. Other material on the subject, like columns by anti-abortion crusader and BornAliveTruth.org founder Jill Stanek, rely on affecting descriptions of grisly post-abortion scenes. Calling up strong emotions is often a very effective way of swaying one's audience. But such ads ask the viewer to feel rather than to think. Telling a heart-rending story and telling the whole story aren't always the same thing..
Virtually every single article I've read, including the one by Dr. George, goes down this road at some point or another, and cites the same information and style o f rhetoric - and much of it is NOT telling the WHOLE story if you do the research. Yes, there are a lot of concerns about Obama's positions, past and present. I AGREE with that, OK? BUT - THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO GO ABOUT BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE IN A DEMOCRACY THAT SUPPORTS THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF EVERYONE. And it's not like I'm in love with Obama - I don't agree with him on everything - I have the same concerns. BUT - The way Obama is being characterized by the other side is just NOT right. But that's all I see going on.Truth is being stretched, mis-used, and the whole story is NOT being told. A fine example is Palin telling everyone how Obama "pals around with terrorists." This is a bonafide admitted born again Christian using the same bogus rhetoric. What are we to think of that? How does that look to the other side? What kind of witness is that? It certainly back-fired for McCain's side obviously. What if Palin gave more of a reasonable argument against Obama, instead of using slandering false remarks like she did? (Right or wrong, I loved how Obama handled that question in last night's debate.)
So after years and years and years of all this from that side, and NO change, I'M TIRED OF IT and I think the rest of America is too. This is what paints the face of Christians/Evangelicals in such a bad/poor light and gives us absolutely no credibility what so ever. I don't do politics to begin with, and very honestly, that's a BIG reason why. The side I should really be FOR and AGREE with are basically positioning themselves as a bunch of mindless attackers that will do and say anything in any manner what so ever to get their point across. That doesn't represent me and how I want to treat people and fight a problem, I'm sorry. And what gets me more, evangelicals mindlessly buy into it all, send the emails, post the videos, and wear it all proudly, and say "I'm SO righteous beyond category and feel so strongly about this that I can't look at ANY other issue beyond this." And all they do is offend and piss off anyone that has a difference of opinion. Then they get written off. Period.
And in this case, while again, I have my own concerns with Obama, I also think he's a obviously a pretty intelligent centered person with a lot of poise, self control, character and leadership ability to bring about change. Is he perfect? No. But does he deserve to be painted in the way that pro-lifers have? After you read the whole story and check each and every fact? Is this really how you want to help people try to make a decision? Is this how we want to play politics as Christians?
Anyway, I stumbled upon this article - yes, obviously it's from a very left publication. It's not a perfect article - But I think it sums up very well how I - and I think a lot of other people feel and why Obama has gained such a strong foothold. People are just sick of the rhetoric - on BOTH sides - but especially from the evangelical/pro-life side on abortion and NOTHING changing. The end of the article says it perfectly:
" What disgusts most people about abortion as a political issue is that on that topic, unlike economics or foreign policy, nothing ever seems to be accomplished. It's the same damned debate, election after election, with each side trying to scare you about the other. If only it were more like economics, where you can actually have growth—or maybe like energy, where you can develop a new source or a new technology. If Obama can make abortion more like those issues and couple it with a record of material progress in the form of fewer procedures, he'll take much of the political heat out of it." >
You can read the whole article here:
http://www.slate.com/id/2202411/
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