An Open Letter to President-Elect Obama About Abortion: From a Pro-Obama and Pro-Life Leader

Dear President-elect Obama: Congratulations on your stunning victory! I guarantee that I'm the only person who worked to get you elected who was also a founder of the evangelical wing of the original pro-life movement. When it comes to the "culture wars" spawned by divisions over abortion, I know what I'm talking about. Please hear me out.

Yes, it's all about the economy. But no one should kid themselves: the culture wars have the potential to sap the energy from your best initiatives. There is no point writing anyone off. You need all Americans supporting you if you are to bring real and lasting change.

Check out this week's New Yorker magazine and you'll find a long quote by me in an article about Senator McCain's loss. The quote is from one of the many pieces that I wrote supporting you. (This one was first published by the Baltimore Sun then picked up here on Huffington.) I demanded that Senator McCain tone down the smear and fear rhetoric of his campaign and I accused him of potentially stirring up violence. Like many pieces I've written supporting you the one castigating the McCain campaign went "viral" and was replicated thousands of times on thousands of blogs.

The reason I'm writing this open letter is because you are going to get only one bite at the apple when it comes to defusing the antagonism of the pro-life movement toward you. But it can be done! I want to help you and your advisors to get this right. And you'll need support from the progressive movement. That's why I'm putting this in the Huffington Post, not just to reach you, but to try to convince your bedrock progressive supporters so they'll back your actions and, more importantly, back the order of your priorities I'm suggesting here that they might otherwise object to.

If you get this right you are in a position to open the door to the beginning of the end of the culture wars. If you get this wrong, you will needlessly instigate another round of toxic division.

Full disclosure: shortly after the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling my late Evangelical leader father Francis Schaeffer, Dr. C. Everett Koop (soon to be Ronald Reagan's Surgeon General) and I collaborated on a pro-life film series with a companion book (Whatever Happened to the Human Race?) I wrote the screenplay for the series and directed the films. We went on the road with a nationwide seminar tour which, taken together with other writings of my father's, launched the Evangelical pro-life movement. We became regular visitors to the Ford, Reagan and Bush Sr., White House, and worked closely with the Republican leadership from Henry Hyde to Jack Kemp. In the mid-1980s I left the Evangelical fold, and have moved "left."

I'm still pro-life, but now believe that abortion should remain legal.

Along with many other pieces that I wrote for the Huffington Post and various newspapers supporting you during the primaries and the campaign was one article where I explained why I'm both pro-life and pro-Obama. I pointed out that you take abortion seriously as a moral issue and that the impact of the social programs for families, children, education and medical care that you are talking about will actually reduce the number of abortions.

Here is what you said about the same subject:

"I think that abortion is a very difficult issue, and it is a moral issue and one that I think good people on both sides can disagree on ... . This is an issue that -- look, it divides us. And in some ways, it may be difficult to -- to reconcile the two views. But there surely is some common ground when both those who believe in choice and those who are opposed to abortion can come together and say, "We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and that they should not be engaged in cavalier activity, and providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby." Those are all things that we put in the Democratic platform for the first time this year, and I think that's where we can find some common ground, because nobody's pro-abortion. I think it's always a tragic situation. We should try to reduce these circumstances."

So here is my advice:

1) If in the early days of your presidency you waive a red flag in the face of the pro-life movement -- and I'm not talking about the fringe crazies, I'm talking about the decent humane thoughtful pro-life folks who would have voted Democratic were it not for this one issue -- you will confirm the worst paranoid fantasies of the people who have tried to use this issue to block out all other considerations. Perception is important. If you start with some sweeping gesture striking down local and state ordinances that ask for parental notification before a minor can obtain an abortion, and make that one of the first expenditures of your political capital you will have initiated the next round of the culture war.

2) On the other hand if some of your early initiatives are boldly proclaimed as specifically aimed at reducing the number of abortions, for instance initiatives to help facilitate adoption, provide care for pregnant women and children, of a kind that will make it easier for women with troubled pregnancies to keep their children, introduce sex education curriculum that teaches responsibility and the sacredness of sex that you have talked about in your campaign... everything could change.

3) Start with bold programs to reduce the number of abortions, while keeping abortion legal, and while protecting Roe, and you'll be surprised at how many Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics who would have voted for you except for this issue, will be won over. You will calm the waters and defuse the situation.

4) Put real substance into programs to reduce the number of abortions, and combine that with talking about the fact that this is a moral issue upon which reasonable and honorable people can disagree, and you will have taken a giant step towards bringing this country together.

If you follow my advice you will find that you have some new and unexpected allies rooting for you on the issues of the economy, service and sacrifice, for instance all those millions of Evangelical young people ready to follow your call. Some of them already voted for you in bigger numbers than for any Democratic candidate for the presidency post-Roe. They already believe in your vision of service, responsibility and compassion. Give them some hope that you have also heard their moral concern on the issue of life.

It's your "Nixon goes to China" moment. As a progressive Democrat you are in a position to defuse the situation and heal the culture wars in a way that no Republican president has been able to do. Surprise the pro-life movement with a sincere, sustained "bully pulpit" for life, and a substantive set of a programs to reduce abortions, while also defending Roe. You can do both!

None of this means that you, the Democratic Party or the progressives movement has to give up principles about reproductive rights. In fact, it means that those principles can better be defended in the long term because you will have claimed the moral high ground.

On January 21 the day after your inauguration there will be a huge demonstration against abortion. That would be a great time for you to announce several programs aimed specifically at giving pregnant women all the help they need if they choose to keep their babies. There are millions of Americans of goodwill (not to be confused with your most rabid opportunists on the right) who could be brought to your side. You'll never convince the cranks, but you can win a new army of good people ready to sacrifice for the massive changes you will need every American's good will to achieve.

Frank Schaeffer is the author of Crazy For God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back (Now in Paperback)

Follow Frank Schaeffer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/frank_schaeffer

Comments

[TLV]

Great thoughts..­.but who will take responsibility for keeping exploitation and overt sexualization of women out of movies that teens see? Who will monitor the sexual content of games that teens have access to? Who will make sure they can't view pornography? Who will make sure they are not hanging out together after school for hours, having sex in their beds in their own homes? Where are the parents these days?

I'm a mother of two young men who have had appropriate parental supervision and adequate sex education and birth control information and even I am quite aware that mine could make a mistake. Abortion should certainly be the last resort...b­ut keep it legal. Better yet - make "morning after pills" and condoms available in school clinics without parents' permission.

[grammies]

I am a 70 year old great grandmother who lived thru the "No abortion" era! I firmly believe that ending a pregnancy is a difficult choice for any woman. It must be her decision and hers alone. The government has absolutely NO vote on the matter. I will never vote for anyone who thinks they have control over women's bodies and believe they have the right to dictate when any woman has a child. Men do not conceive, nor do they deliver children, therefore they do not get a say! Churches should stay out of the bedroom, doctor's offices and private matters.

[Ramus]

Hear Hear grammies! Exactly precisely correct. The first thing Obama will do is to undo the provision the bushies put in about not aiding any international organization that performs or advocates or counsels woman about abortion. People need to be informed about birth control methods. The world already has too many people. Men should definitely shut up about this matter. As Barney Frank once said about the anti-choice gang, "these people think life begins at conception and ends at birth". I have not patience with these people and especially no patience with men who spout anti-choice views. I too am a grannie and I remember those pre-choice days. I have several friends permanently maimed by bad abortions.­.never again. And men should absolutely butt out.

[FebM]

Its wonderful to have a discussion on the sanctity of life, before and after birth, keep abortion legal but make it easier for all by preventing unwanted pregnancies but also letting the anti-choice, pro-capital punishment, pro-war noisy crazies know those are moral issues too.

[shawnaNaustin]

Great post, Frank. I too am a Catholic who voted for Obama in spite of the Church's strong stance against his pro-choice policies. Obama's words about finding common ground and making access to ALL of the choices women have more accessible struck a chord with me. I haven't always been Catholic or pro-life, but I understand the Catholic pro-life position more fully now, and that's what has changed my mind on the issue of abortion. It's not about the judgment that too often comes from the right, it's about the entire concept of what it means to be human, and how we de-value human life when we allow economically and scientifically expedient options to become the mainstream. That includes abortion as well as embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia and artifical conception. I think we all need to think long term and work hard to avoid the scenario that Aldous Huxley wrote about so prophetically in Brave New World--one where babies are made in labs and sexuality is completely divorced from procreation. We all become less human in a world like that.

[Otaku1031]

Why is it that "pro-lifers" aren't called "anti-choice"? Many "pro-life" advocates don't just rail against abortion, but many other aspects of family planning; contraception, education in the use condoms to not just prevent pregnancy, but to also prevent STD's, HIV etc. Many people hailed Bristol Palin's CHOICE to continue her pregnancy as a wonderful thing, a shining example for the "pro-choice" faction (and a reminder that "abstinence-only" doesn't work and never will). I've seen too many teen pregnancies end in tragedy to think that she may beat the odds. I hope she does, but it doesn't matter who your parents are or what your economic status may be - lives can still get ruined. What does matter is that she had the freedom to choose. The right to do with our bodies as we will is our most personal, basic right. One that must never be dictated to us by anything but our own morality and strength of conviction.

Let's call "pro-life" by it's real name - anti-CHOICE.

[kjstjohn]

I refuse to use the label "pro-life" to describe people who are merely anti-abortion. Start a movement. Correct the speakers who say "pro-life" when what they really mean is "anti-choi­ce."

That said, I know some Catholics who are anti-choice, anti-capial punishment, and except in self defense, anti-war. And they favor policies that help the poor. It is fine by me if they call themselves "pro-life.­"

[mcthfg]

I can totally see that, as a man, you should be able to tell women what to do with their bodies.

Those pro-choice women - always thinking they know best about their own bodies!

The AUDACITY!

Still can't shake that hateful old-timey religion, huh Frank?

[LunaNik]

While I appreciate your unusually less than rabid stance on this issue, no one will take the pro-life people seriously until they follow their words with actions, as follows:

1. Start voting for candidates who support real sex ed. Abstinence-only sex ed has been proven to actually increase the number of teen pregnancies.

2. Start voting for candidate who support social programming. Or does the sanctity of life end at birth?

3. Adopt all orphans of the state.

4. Volunteer to have implanted, bear to term, and adopt all leftover embryos from fertility clinics.

5. Stop being proponents of the death penalty.

The problem with most pro-lifers is that they're only interested in potential people, not real people.

[booksnmore4you]

Awesome! In 100% agreement.

My own view is basically the same as Frank's on this issue - pro-life but not pro-outlaw.

[angryveteran]

Well written--too bad the fringe crazies are more fun to watch on TV. They get the media coverage, not folks who want to change the behavior that leads to unwanted pregnancies.

[goodgravy]

a good start would be for X-ian fundies to allow COMPREHENSIVE age appropriate sex education in the schools.

[lauram]

How about we start by publicizing over and over again that according to Y2K figures for the US: http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_fact2.htmm
) 58% of abortions are before the 9th week
 and 91% are first trimester. First trimester. Long before the woman creates a baby out of a fetus.

[UncleN]

Thank you for stating what many people I know think and say amongst themselves, but rarely see in print.

Too bad there are a lot of "fringe crazies" on the left as well. In my discussions on the subject of abortion I have found some folks who are so adamantly prochoice that they seem to talk as though abortion is a wonderful, desirable experience that everyone should have. Usually these are men.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Really?
I have a hard time believing anyone thinks abortion is a wonderful desirable experience.
The ONLY reason why perhaps these men would think this way is so that they don't have to wear a condom and abortion is the "easy way out".

[shawn1110]

It would do both sides a world of good to end the "battle of absolutes". Sometimes, to prevent abortion you have to provide access to birth control and sometimes you have to make to Women's Clinic worker offer adoption as an option. Surely, we can say it is noble to both protect a being you believe to be alive and to fight for the equality of the sexes.

It has been 35 years since Roe and science has made a lot of progress in telling us about the birth cycle. Why haven't we reviewed it? It's time for the Pro Life movement to put down the Bible and pick up the microscope. It's also time for the Women's Rights movement to stop insisting that anyone who is Pro Life is a Bible thumper who doesn't value their equality. Certainly, a real choice would require knowledge of all options, including keeping the baby or putting it up for adoption.

I, like many Catholics went against my church by voting for Obama. I'm not against abortion because God or my religion tells me so but because I believe scientifically that life begins at conception. If Obama's policies increase the number of abortions and his promise to reduce the number of abortions is unfulfilled, many voters will not stand by him. The FOCA will send a big gift to the Republican Party. This issue is going to be solved in the center, not by one side dominating the other.

[LunaNik]

Where is your alleged scientific proof that life begins at conception? Please provide links to reputable sources for us. Thank you.

[rmm4402]

If not then.... when?????

[Teamguerino]

LunaNik,
Here's a couple good places to start, beginning with the American College of Pediatricians:
http://www.acpeds.org/?CONTEXT=art&cat=10007&art=53&BISKIT=5721916
http://www.prolifephysicians.org/lifebegins.htm
And finally, note that NARAL founder Bernard Nathanson changed his views on abortion for non-religious, scientific reasons, saying "I oppose abortion. I do so, first, because I accept what is biologically manifest—that human life commences at the time of conception—and, second, because I believe it is wrong to take innocent human life under any circumstances. My position is scientific, pragmatic, and humanitari­an." Reference for that quote and several others from scientists are in this article http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/prolife_human_rights/Scientists_Attest_To_Life_Beginning_At_Conception.shtml

Sorry the comment box doesn't seem to allow me to hyperlink!

[ConstanceReader]

In re: #2

You did not list the single most important technique for reducing abortion: preventing unwanted pregnancies by ensuring that women have stable, affordable, non-stigmatized access to the full spectrum of contraception. This includes reversing repugnant laws allowing licensed pharmacists to refuse to do their jobs without repercussion.

[Pupadup4oBama]

YES!!!
I believe I heard some where that there is a specific pharmacy where they will not dispense birth control - ok, fine, then they won't get my business..­.that is their prerogative just as it is mine to not go there.

[MellowDrama]

Mr. Schaffer, how about a recommendation for the so-called "pro-life" movement? It would gain itself a world of credibility to be equally (or hopefully more) outraged and opposed to militarism, war, and all the other forms of state-sanctioned murder and crippling oppression. Why is this never the case?

I know I'm not making a new point here, but it is so far completely ignored by pro-life factions. On the contrary, you are more likely to see such people highly in favor of destroying living humans and other creatures when prompted by their (usually) reactionary politics, or when it conveniences them economically.

I think that until they completely turn around in this regard, their single-issue opposition to abortion will continue to be seen as sentimental fanaticism with little or no meaning.

[lolcopter]

We could start by treating the electorate as individuals and not as stereotyped groups. Not every pro-life voter is a far right-wing war monger.

[mcthfg]

But they all want to tell other people what they can and can't do with their bodies...

[Pupadup4oBama]

SO true!!!