Disturbing Facts

The "Freedom of Choice Act" is an attempt by the pro-choice movement to turn Roe v. Wade into a national standard of law. According to the text of the act itself, the Roe v. Wade decision "balances" abortion rights by requiring an exception for the life and health of the mother in any abortion ban. A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal "partial birth abortion" ban that did NOT include an exception for the life and health of the mother. Barack Obama signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill soon after the Supreme Court's decision. He believes the exception for the life and health of the mother needs to be maintained as law. But there is more to the act than that. Here is the pro-choice NARAL website's take on the act. I read the text of the act, available here, (it isn't that long), and it appears that the law goes two steps further beyond protecting the life of the mother: 1. it invalidates any state or local rules that do not follow the prescriptions of the federal law; and 2. it prohibits "discrimination" in abortion rights, which in my mind could create a lot of lawsuits by the pro-choice activists in an effort to widen abortion rights. The act is currently "in committee" in the 2007-2008 Congress, and it will likely stay there until after the election. But with Democratic control of the Congress and the White House, it could be signed into law. I didn't think abortion was a big issue in this campaign, and my vote reflected that belief. I think reasonable people can disagree on abortion rights, and a ban on abortion creates ethical dilemmas just as much as abortion itself. Still, the specific facts of this act are disturbing, and might have changed my vote. I don't think this act is a good act -- it goes too far in trying to "shore up" abortion rights, and ends up creating more problems than it solves. Maybe Sen. Obama reacted to the Supreme Court ruling by adding his name to the act, but it's probably an over-reaction.