A Walk Down Memory Lane...

In a disturbing editorial this morning conservative author Paul Kengor reminds us that, "In Pennsylvania, the votes of pro-life Democrats may prove a powerful force on November 2." In fact, according to Kengor, there are more anti-choice Democrats in Pennsylvania than in any other state. (sigh). His editorial, Abortion: the swing issue?, provides a walk down memory lane with Bush's frightening war on reproductive rights.

It starts in 2001, with Bush signing the Global Gag Rule on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, effectively prohibiting any U.S. money from going to international organizations that perform abortions or provide post-abortion counseling. Fast forward to Bush's signing of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act in August 2002 and the "Sanctity of Life" bill in January 2003. Oh, and we can't forget his signing of the partial-birth abortion ban last November. Now, that's *a lot* of rollbacks for four years. And then there is the alternative...

Kengor discusses Kerry's appearance at a NARAL Pro-Choice America dinner last year, where Kerry referenced his freshman speech in Congress. In 1994 Kerry woke up the Senate floor by proudly proclaimed that: "The right thing to do is to treat abortions as exactly what they are -- a medical procedure that any doctor is free to provide and any pregnant woman free to obtain. Consequently, abortions should not have to be performed in tightly guarded clinics on the edge of town; they should be performed and obtained in the same locations as any other medical procedure.... [A]bortions need to be moved out of the fringes of medicine and into the mainstream of medical practice." AMEN!!!

I would love to have a president that could free up some of my Saturday mornings from clinic defense work. I would love to have a president that didn't make me feel like I needed to create a mass stockpile of my birth control pills. I would love to have a president that unabashedly supported my right to make decisions about my body.

While Kengor's editorial seemed intent on frightening, I choose to read it as a call to action. He states his claim pretty clearly, "Among the left, a John F. Kerry victory would be viewed as not just a win for Democrats but a huge victory for legalized abortion, just as a Bush re-election would be a continuing triumph for forces allied against legalized abortion." If you're still uncertain about whether or not you're going to vote on Tuesday, *please* think again...

Any *pro-choice* Pennsylvania voters out there with thoughts on Kengor's editorial?