Rocky Mountain News: Columnists
"Access to health care. More education. Greater availability of contraceptives. More money for family planning. Equals fewer abortions. It's common sense. Which means it'll never happen, says a pro-choice Republican friend of mine who's fed up with the Christian fundamentalist hijacking of his party. Each side refuses to give ground when both, ostensibly, want the same thing: fewer abortions.
I don't know if Ritter could lead the Democratic Party toward common ground. I think he is still wrestling with his own conflicts. But, clearly, common ground is one of his goals. At the very least, I hope he borrows one of Saletan's best lines: 'My opponent and I are both pro-life. We want to avoid as many abortions as we can. The difference is, I trust women to work with me toward that objective and he doesn't.'
One final thought about dodging moral issues: What minds religion cannot sway, science will. Technology has already given us the ability to peer into the womb at earlier stages of pregnancy and with greater clarity.
In 1998, when I was pregnant with my daughter, an ultrasound technician rubbed jelly on my belly and ran the probe over it and I turned to the screen to see - a satellite weather photo. In 2001, when I was pregnant with my son and after a suspicious blood screening, I had an ultrasound a few weeks earlier than what is typical. I turned to look. This time I saw a hand, a foot, the flutter of a heart, beating."
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