I have been spending my precious few moments of free time lately answering questions from friends and relatives regarding Obama's policies, his faith and his qualifications. Despite the fact that christians, and even pro-life christians like Sarah and myself are sprouting Obama signs in their yards, my parents along with many of my acquaintances are still having a great amount of trouble understanding my position on this election. I wish I had done a better job of staying on my blog, and by now my readers would understand my position, but I haven't and you'll have to settle for this.
Today, I wrote a coworker who is deeply effected by abortion, and cannot come to terms with voting pro-choice. It cannot change her vote. I know it can't. But it can explain my position I hope...
For your reading pleasure, my letter to Alma:
Good morning Alma,
I am just fine with the fact that you can't vote for Obama. It's your vote, and it's precious. I'd be happy to leave it at that, but after reading your comment that you can't understand how I could vote the way I do, I don't want you to see me as heartless or unfeeling. I am wrecked by this issue along with many others that divide our country. I'll do my best to answer the born alive issue, and my reasons for voting Obama 08.
The "Born alive" issue is a complex one. It is made to seem simple and black and white by people who are interested in making it a "one-two punch" against Barack Obama. I've heard it said that no christian can in good conscience vote for Obama. Rick Warren, who wrote the best selling book "The purpose-driven life" said at his church earlier this year that "If they (pro-lifers) think that life begins at conception, then that means that there are 40 million Americans who are not here [because they were aborted] that could have voted. They would call that a holocaust and for them it would be like if I'm Jewish and a Holocaust denier is running for office. I don't care how right he is on everything else, it's a deal breaker for me. I'm not going to vote for a Holocaust denier."
What Rick is saying is that like you, the issue is so strong that it's a deal breaker for him. I won't contest that, because it's how strongly you feel about the issue. It's how strongly Rick feels about it too... along with the vast majority of pro-life Americans. The problem I have with that quote is when Mr. Warren says "I don't care how right he is on everything else". For me, I do care. George W. Bush agrees with me on abortion, but has been wrong on almost everything else. He's disrupted entire countries, upended governments, sent countless soldiers to war and die based on shifty information and baseless claims. He's led his party and our nation in adopting policy that will give the government rights to monitor, detain and prosecute whoever they wish by simply naming them an "enemy combatant." He's spent billions of dollars in military spending to private companies like Haliburton who's last CEO was Dick Cheney. Oil, Military and big tax cuts for the rich... and all in the name of God. It doesn't matter what Bush's stance on abortion is on paper, abortion is still legal after his 8 years, and he's gotten so much more that he wanted.
John McCain is a hero. A US war hero. He loves his country, and while he's been involved in a few scandals over the years (the Keating 5 for example) I think he's an honorable man. He is not George W. Bush, but I don't think that he's going to change the way the country has been operating these past 8 years. I can't disagree as much as I do with Bush, and still vote for a man who is very likely to follow in our current president's footsteps.
As for Barack voting in the Illinois State senate on SB-1082:
On Obama's website, Barack points out that at the time he "voted against a bill containing language designed to protect infants who were "born alive" such legislation was on the books as Illinois State Law." It was already law. What the bill was proposing was that during abortions, a 2nd doctor should be present in the room to save the baby's life if something should go wrong with the abortion and the baby be born alive. Illinois already requires physicians to save the child's life if they're born during the procedure. He voted "present" regarding the bill that required the second physician in the room to step in if they thought the infant had a chance of surviving the abortion. The penalty for doctors who failed to save the child who wasn't successfully aborted was a class 3 felony.
Republicans Bill Sponsor and Rick Winkle, who proposed and supported the "born alive" bill disagree with the accusation that Obama supports infanticide. They both stated in interviews that no one who voted against the measure, republican or democrat did it because they support killing infants.
The Chicago Tribune reported:
“Obama said that had he been in the US Senate two years ago, he would have voted for the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, even though he voted against a state version of the proposal. The federal version was approved; the state version was not. Both measures required that if a fetus survived an abortion procedure, it must be considered a person. Backers argued it was necessary to protect a fetus if it showed signs of life after being separated from its mother…the difference between the state and federal versions, Obama explained, was that the state measure lacked the federal language clarifying that the act would not be used to undermine Roe vs. Wade.” [Chicago Tribune, 10/4/04]
Obama was just one of many state senators that would have supported the Federal version of this bill (which passed) but didn't support the state level version (which didn't) which would have had much different applications.
I DO care how much Obama has right. He's wrong on abortion, plain and simple, and he'll be no friend to the pro-life movement. But we as pro-lifers need to make the decisions that will slow and eventually stop abortion. Not rely on a law to do the very "human" things that need to be done to support pregnant teens. We need to set up programs through our local churches to help these girls care for their babies after they're born. Do you know how many pro-life organizations there are in the US alone that help pregnant women make the decision to keep their babies? Over 3,000. But there are only a handful of organizations that help young mothers once they've had those babies. We need to change our hearts.
In closing, please know that I hold you in the highest regard, and respect you very much. I am happy you're voting, even though it will counterbalance my own. I know that you've prayerfully considered what to do, and that you're voting on principal, which is ultimately important. You obviously love your country and fellow man, and I am proud to know you.
Be blessed on Tuesday. I'm proud to be your fellow citizen.
James
