By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer A participant in a recent White House meeting meant to find “common ground” on abortion says the official in charge admitted to a room full of people that the president is not interested in reducing the number of abortions, just the need for abortions. According to Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, the comment was made during the meeting just after she questioned why the U.S. continues to spend $2 billion a year on contraception programs that have failed to reduce the number of abortions. When Wright suggested the administration take an honest look at why these programs aren’t working, the official in charge, Obama’s Director of Domestic Policy Council, Melody Barnes, tersely interrupted to say: “It is not our goal to reduce the number of abortions.” The room fell silent, Wright said. Barnes, who was a board member of Emily’s List, one of the most hard-core abortion groups, went on to say that the president’s goal was to “reduce the need for abortions.” “If you reduce the need, doesn't it follow that the number would be reduced?” Wright asked in an op-ed published by LifeNews.com. “How do you quantify if you've reduced the 'eed'? Does Obama want to reduce the need but not the number of abortions? In that case, is he okay with 'unneeded' abortions? “Note what Obama said in his speech at Notre Dame: ‘So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. …’” Wright said Obama is resorting to the same word game pro-abortion politicians use to convince the public that they're genuinely interested in finding “common ground” on the abortion issue. It's an old tactic dreamed up by Democrats after their defeat at the polls in 2004. Howard Dean, former head of the Democratic National Convention admitted to NBC’s Tim Russert at the time: "We can change our vocabulary, but I don't think we ought to change our principles.” Wright said this word play is meant to repackage the pro-abortion message to make it more appealing to the growing majority of pro-life Americans in order to “trick people” into believing the new administration really wants to reduce abortions. So far, it’s working, she says. “A Notre Dame professor and priest insisted this in a television debate after Obama’s speech. The Vatican newspaper reported it. Rush Limbaugh led a spirited debate on his radio program the next day based on this premise.” Wright went on to say Obama needs to be honest with Americans. “More importantly, will he do anything that will reduce abortions? Actions are far more important than words.” © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com