October 6, 2004
An editorial in the National Catholic Reporter points out what “insiders” know – that abortion will remain legal in the US for many years to come. BUT, the article adds, there ARE “concrete steps our political leaders can take” that would significantly reduce the numbers of abortions that occur.
The prospect of recriminalizing abortion in the United States is astonishingly small. President Bush, to his credit, has said as much, noting that liberal abortion laws won’t be overturned without a significant change in culture ….
For certain politicians, it is cheap grace — a promise about a
single issue that they’ll never have to fulfill but from which they stand to reap considerable benefits ….
There are concrete steps our political leaders can take that would reduce the seven-figure abortion rate …. For instance, the 1996 welfare reform bill (currently up for renewal) allows states to impose a “family cap” on welfare benefits …. A wide-ranging coalition …. argued against the cap. They said it would lead to more abortions. They were right.
It is time to require those who are “pro-life” and others who want to see abortion become “rare” to put more than words on the line.
See the whole article at National Catholic Reporter Online.