spwll08
08-06-2009, 11:15 PM
via The Politicizer (http://thepoliticizer.com/2009/08/01/walk-pro-life-and-pro-choice-in-moderation/):
Landmark legislation on abortion was introduced into the House of Representatives in July. Sponsored by pro-life Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, the “Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion, and Supporting Parents Act (HR 3312)” has been drafted by both pro-life and pro-choice groups and brings a much-needed moderate voice to the abortion debate. It is also exactly the sort of bipartisan spirit that America voted for in 2008 but never received.
Unlike many other bills related to abortion, HR3312 does not intend to restrict or expand the availability of abortions; rather, it includes approaches from both sides of the issue. Traditionally, pro-choice advocates have favored preventative efforts (contraception) whereas pro-life groups tend to support post-facto solutions (adoption), and Congressman Ryan’s legislation bridges the chasm between the two. HR3312 includes funding for comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention (including sex education that discusses both contraceptive methods and abstinence), improvements to maternity and postpartum care, grants for adoption programs (including a national adoption information campaign), and increased support for new parents. It is a pragmatic legislation that wisely recognizes the merits of realistic preventative measures as well as those of adoption.
Tim Ryan’s colleagues, however, have not recognized it as such. Because of his support of abortion reduction, he was forcibly removed from his position on the national advisory board for the Democrats for Life of America, a capacity in which he has served for the last four years. According to DFLA executive director Kristen Day, the Ohio Democrat’s willingness to compromise and offer moderate, pragmatic solutions to the tragedy of abortion means that “he has turned his back on the [pro-life] community.”
Such is the plight of the moderate. To the fringes of the political spectrum, “compromise” is a four-letter word reserved for politicians without “principles.” Instead of meaning “to find or follow a way between extremes; to bind by mutual agreement” as it does in the dictionary, political compromise is frequently equated to abandoning one’s principles. Moderates are often victims of such accusations. Being a moderate, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that one holds views that are in the exact center of the political compass; rather, that one understands the necessity for civil dialogue between distant ideologies and seeks to “moderate” between them. This principle – that compromise is crucial to sound public policy – is shared by moderates and often forgotten by the fringes.
As a moderate, I find being constantly attacked by the other ideologies exhausting. The essence of being a moderate is to bring people together, find similarities in their viewpoints and thus create more effective and agreeable solutions to issues, and while that sounds the opposite of threatening to me, apparently it worries the fringes quite a bit. Here is Tim Ryan actually trying to do something about abortion - no, it isn't going to be illegal anytime soon, but everyone can agree that abortion is tragic. Yet decreasing the number of abortions through education is apparently unacceptable to Democrats for Life. Moderates are truly a struggling breed, and for the sake of our democracy, this reality truly saddens me.
Landmark legislation on abortion was introduced into the House of Representatives in July. Sponsored by pro-life Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, the “Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion, and Supporting Parents Act (HR 3312)” has been drafted by both pro-life and pro-choice groups and brings a much-needed moderate voice to the abortion debate. It is also exactly the sort of bipartisan spirit that America voted for in 2008 but never received.
Unlike many other bills related to abortion, HR3312 does not intend to restrict or expand the availability of abortions; rather, it includes approaches from both sides of the issue. Traditionally, pro-choice advocates have favored preventative efforts (contraception) whereas pro-life groups tend to support post-facto solutions (adoption), and Congressman Ryan’s legislation bridges the chasm between the two. HR3312 includes funding for comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention (including sex education that discusses both contraceptive methods and abstinence), improvements to maternity and postpartum care, grants for adoption programs (including a national adoption information campaign), and increased support for new parents. It is a pragmatic legislation that wisely recognizes the merits of realistic preventative measures as well as those of adoption.
Tim Ryan’s colleagues, however, have not recognized it as such. Because of his support of abortion reduction, he was forcibly removed from his position on the national advisory board for the Democrats for Life of America, a capacity in which he has served for the last four years. According to DFLA executive director Kristen Day, the Ohio Democrat’s willingness to compromise and offer moderate, pragmatic solutions to the tragedy of abortion means that “he has turned his back on the [pro-life] community.”
Such is the plight of the moderate. To the fringes of the political spectrum, “compromise” is a four-letter word reserved for politicians without “principles.” Instead of meaning “to find or follow a way between extremes; to bind by mutual agreement” as it does in the dictionary, political compromise is frequently equated to abandoning one’s principles. Moderates are often victims of such accusations. Being a moderate, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that one holds views that are in the exact center of the political compass; rather, that one understands the necessity for civil dialogue between distant ideologies and seeks to “moderate” between them. This principle – that compromise is crucial to sound public policy – is shared by moderates and often forgotten by the fringes.
As a moderate, I find being constantly attacked by the other ideologies exhausting. The essence of being a moderate is to bring people together, find similarities in their viewpoints and thus create more effective and agreeable solutions to issues, and while that sounds the opposite of threatening to me, apparently it worries the fringes quite a bit. Here is Tim Ryan actually trying to do something about abortion - no, it isn't going to be illegal anytime soon, but everyone can agree that abortion is tragic. Yet decreasing the number of abortions through education is apparently unacceptable to Democrats for Life. Moderates are truly a struggling breed, and for the sake of our democracy, this reality truly saddens me.