OPINION:
To appeal for the votes of pro-lifers, Democrats have language in their draft platform providing social services for pregnant women to deliver their babies. (“Platform language targets pro-lifers,” Page 1, Wednesday).
However, pro-lifers already support more than 3,000 pregnancy centers that they have established to provide these services. Unfortunately, it has been the policy of state governments controlled by Democrats to harass and try to close these centers with false accusations about their operations because they support women who want to deliver their babies. For example, legislation introduced this year in Maryland required that pregnancy center personnel tell potential clients that information they give the clients may be inaccurate because pregnancy centers tell women the truth about the physical and psychological risks of abortion.
Also, when Sen. Barack Obama is more pro-abortion than NARAL, the window dressing in the platform doesn’t make a bit of difference. Mr. Obama voted three times in the Illinois Legislature against easing the suffering of babies who survive abortions, but NARAL did not object to the same language in a federal bill.
If Democrats are serious about appealing to pro-lifers, for starters they could stop impeding the confirmation of judges who are not pro-abortion and stop impeding the passage of legislation protecting parental rights by ensuring that teens cannot legally be taken to states that do not have parental involvement laws for a teen abortion.
JOHN NAUGHTON
Silver Spring
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