I read this article in the American Spectator this morning and for me it underlines the main point of Catholics and actually many Christian support for the current administration's stance on abortion and social policies.
The argument is that the current administration's policies on social issues will decrease the number of abortions.
Therefore the Obama administration is more pro-life than pro-choice. This in the face of rather stark actions (policy overturns and legislation) of those in office. By administration I also include the current majority in congress.
The article points specifically to the Evangelical Left Ethicist, Glenn Stassen of Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California who's support for Obama follows this thought process and conclusion.
Though this article point to the Evangelical Left I believe a large portion of the Catholic population has join the band wagon and also follows this line of thinking.
While Mr. Grassen points to a set of numbers and statistics to support his argument, many who digest this data are completely unaware of the ACTUAL data on this subject.
Why? The inconvenience of 'digging deeper', going the extra mile to validate what's being put in front of us. The willingness just to swallow what's put in front of us, as in believing everything on TV or maybe the latest gossip we hear, rumors ect...
Whatever the reason, we have to be diligent about researching the facts, finding good resources, not just believing what we want to hear.
In a nut shell, seeking the Truth wherever that may lead.
So, here's the article. Let's make our way through the fog of numbers and stats and find out what conclusions the real truth leads to concerning the numbers on abortion.
Evangelical Left Ethicist Defens Obama on Abortion
In October 2004, conveniently during the presidential election, Evangelical Left ethicist Glenn Stassen of Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California, gained widespread attention for arguing that abortion rates had increased under President Bush after declines under President Clinton. A John Kerry supporter, Stassen sought to justify evangelical support for a pro-abortion rights candidate, arguing that wider welfare state programs more effectively reduce abortion than legal restrictions.
As many critics then pointed out, Stassen's sweeping claims were selectively based on abortion data for only 16 states through 2003. Now armed with more comprehensive data, and energized by President Obama's Notre Dame controversy, Stassen, a strong Obama supporter, is claiming vindication.
"Abortions reduced by 300,000 a year during the Clinton years, stayed flat or increased during the Bush years, and if they resume their reductions during the Obama years, then many consistently pro-life people like me will conclude that we should judge administrations not by their words but by their fruits," Stassen triumphantly concluded in a recent piece for Sojourners, Jim Wallis's website for liberal religionists.
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