Obama Should Seek 'Common Ground' On Abortion Debate With Ryan-DeLauro Bill

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 07 Jan 2009 - 2:00 PST

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"One hopeful feature" of President-elect Barack Obama's upcoming presidency is his "apparent passion for moving the nation beyond its weary cultural debates" on issues such as abortion, a Dallas Morning News editorial says. The editorial continues that "[c]ommon ground" does not "magically appear" and that Obama must therefore "make hard decisions, including selecting the right legislation to support as his term begins." According to the editorial, one "way forward" would be for Obama to support a bill sponsored by Reps. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), which both "those opposed to abortion rights and those in favor of them can support."

The bill focuses on reducing the number of abortions and providing incentives for women to carry their fetuses to term. It would "remove pregnancy from the list of pre-existing conditions insurers won't cover, provide nursing visits to qualifying new mothers and expand the tax credit families can claim when adopting children," the editorial states. In addition, the bill places "equally significant" emphasis on reducing unintended pregnancies, preventing teen pregnancy, expanding contraceptive education and allowing Medicaid to fund more family planning services, according to the editorial.

The Ryan-DeLauro bill would "push both sides out of their comfort zones" as abortion-rights advocates "would end up championing bringing more children to term" and abortion-rights opponents "would support contraceptives and other ways to prevent pregnancies," the editorial says, adding, "[t]hat's breaking new ground for both." According to the editorial, Obama's incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel supports the bill, and he should "persuad[e] his boss to make this legislation an early priority." The editorial concludes that "[i]f opponents can agree on the nettlesome subject of abortion, who knows? Maybe opponents on other cultural issues can find their own common ground" (Dallas Morning News, 1/2).

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