Jesse A. Schroeder

Read (or listen) this NPR article about the Catholic vote and abortion.

Obviously abortion is at the top of the list of important issues for evangelical voters as well, but like some of the Catholics mentioned in this article, my opinion (and vote) in the matter has swayed in the last few months. I would agree with Douglas Kmiec, who was quoted as saying:

"We are not baby killers," Kmiec said. "We are simply finding analternative way to build up life, to honor the truth of the humanperson, to promote human good."

He also told the students thatObama's policies would reduce the number of abortions more thanMcCain's would. Kmiec says the position goes beyond abortion — itincludes health care, living wages, caring for the poor.

The article also presents information regarding the implications of a possible overturn of Roe v. Wade, stating that abortion would still be allowed in 30 states.

I first began to reconsider my position when I heard of the 95/10 initiative which is a comprehensive plan put forth by the Democratic party, aiming to reduce the number of abortions by 95% in the next 10 years. The plan covers such issues as promoting abstinence and contraceptives, support for mothers facing unplanned pregnancies, and child health care. As I read about this plan, I realized that even though I voted Republican in the first two presidential elections that I could ('00, '04) in large part because G.W. Bush spoke so strongly against abortion, very little has been done by the Republican party (even with a majority in Congress) to decrease the number of abortions in the United States. My hope is that this plan will be adopted and implemented, and more work will be done at a federal, state and local level to go beyond the pro-life rhetoric and actually do something to decrease the number of abortions and increase the quality of life for those dealing with the challenges of unexpected/unwanted pregnancies - and the young lives that courageously brought into this world.

See also Pro Life Pro Obama