Three Things that Prolife Obama Supporters Must Do

Younger evangelicals are more pro-life than their elders and they are also more interested in Barack Obama than are their elders, according to this Beliefnet story.

This is a dilemma, considering that, as the Washington Post put it, Obama has “never supported a single measure that would curtail access to abortion -- even under controversial circumstances.”

If you’re planning to vote for Obama November 4, I want to suggest three actions you can take so that your vote isn’t mislabeled as an endorsement of his pro-choice convictions.

If you’re an Obama supporter who is also pro-life, it’s important that you find ways to support his candidacy while also expressing your disappointment with his stance on abortion legislation. And there’s a lot to be disappointed with. NARAL loves the Senator, giving his voting record on abortion a 100% rating (Joe Biden, by contrast, only got a 33% rating from the group). He supports late-term abortions, including the partial-birth procedure. He opposes laws that would require parental notification for minors seeking abortion. He has pledged that one of the first things he will do as President is sign the “Freedom of Choice Act” into law, canceling every state, federal, and local regulation of abortion and abolishing all state restrictions on government funding for abortions. And in the Illinois Senate, he opposed legislation that would have protected infants that survive abortions. Twenty months ago, when he began his run for the presidency, CBS news said that this would come back to haunt him.

Still, Obama has reached out to pro-life Catholics and evangelicals. He has acknowledged that the Democratic Party has been wrong to elbow out pro-lifers from their ranks, and his invitation to Senator Robert Casey as a speaker at this year’s Democratic National Convention was hailed as an example of the new kind of openness he wants from the Party (Casey’s father, a pro-life Democratic Governor, was snubbed by the Convention in 1992). In addition, he supported changes to the abortion plank in the party’s platform. While committed to Roe, the platform calls for ways to reduce the need for abortion and offering help for mothers who want bring their child to term, providing support so the mom can either keep child or place it for adoption.

These are hopeful signs that a President Obama may be willing to listen to pro-lifers like you. So, I suggest three things you should do if you’re planning to vote for Obama:

First, join “Democrats for Life.” It is vital that you go on record as a pro-life citizen--and that won’t happen by doing nothing more than pulling the lever for a candidate with a 100% approval rating from NARAL. Democrats for Life exists to “elect pro-life Democrats to office, support pro-life Democrats while in an elected position, promote a pro-life plank in the Democratic Party platform, achieve pro-life legislation with the help of national and state pro-life democrats, and participate actively in Democratic Party functions and offices.” I’m particularly intrigued with their “95-10 Initiative,” designed by the DFL to reduce 95% of abortions in the next 10 years.

Second, write Senator Obama. Let him know that you appreciate his outreach to pro-life voters like you, and that you hope he will continue to take your pro-life views into consideration in return for your support. Send your note in a #10 envelope to Obama for America, P.O. Box 8102, Chicago, IL 60680.

Third, should Obama become President, monitor his actions on this issue and base your re-election decision on what you see. Certainly, you should keep an eye on his Supreme Court nominations, but he will also have a chance to select federal judges. These positions last long after a President leaves office, and they have a huge impact on what kind of “culture of life” we see in our country. What kind of life-ethic legislation from Congress will he sign or veto? Also, watch for his selection of Attorney General, whose Department of Justice impacts how laws are enforced that advance abortion or limit it. Watch for his choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services, who oversees all kinds of programs that could either encourage or discourage the frequency and availability of abortion. Keep up with his foreign policy. President Reagan established the Mexico City Policy which bans the flow of aid to agencies that provide or promote abortion. President Clinton refused to follow this policy, so watch what President Obama will do with that. In short, a United States President has a major influence on whether our country makes advances or setbacks on creating a culture of life--much more than you may have realized. So, if you help put Obama in the White House and he proceeds to ignore your pro-life convictions until he needs your vote in the next election, refuse to give it to him.

Certainly, there is another option: the Republican ticket has come out clearly on the side of defending life. But if there are too many other things about a McCain-Palin administration that concern you--or too many other things about an Obama-Biden administration that attract you--then take my three suggestions as you pull the lever for Barack Obama. My hope is that we will continue to build a life-affirming nation, regardless of who is in the White House.