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| Thursday, January 27, 2005 |
| Saletan on Clinton's abortion speech |
I think William Saletan's piece from yesterday on Hillary Clinton's Monday speech to a pro-choice group was excellent, and the same praise is due Mrs. Clinton for the content of that speech. She is clearly a VERY gifted politician. She has started the 2008 "campaign" on exactly the right tone - hitting an issue that the base cares about, while showing how a core Democratic issue can logically be framed in a broader, more inclusive, "values-oriented" way.
Of course we would all like abortions to be rare or nonexistant. But while we seek to reduce their number, we don't believe it's right to criminalize them. Why don't more Democrats make this point? Let's attack the root cause, because to a certain extent abortions are going to happen whether they're legal or not.
Admit the goal is zero, and people will rethink birth control. "Seven percent of American women who do not use contraception account for 53 percent of all unintended pregnancies," Clinton said. That number drew gasps from her pro-choice audience. I bet if she translated it to abortions, it would knock folks in Ohio out of their chairs. How many abortions are you willing to endure for the sake of avoiding the word "condom"? Clinton says we can cut the abortion rate through sex education, money for family planning, and requiring health insurers to cover contraceptives.
More from Andrew Sullivan at TNR
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posted by CB @ 11:14 AM   |
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