by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Objections by Congressional Democrats to the Pregnant Women Support Act (PWSA) is sparking public criticism from pro-life members of the Democratic party.
According to a report by the Catholic News Agency (CNA), Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, has criticized the lack of support among the more “absolutist” Democratic supporters of abortion rights for the PWSA, a bill that aims to reduce the number of abortions by giving women the support they need to carry their babies to term.
In a May 22 essay appearing in Newsday, Day claimed the bill’s opponents think the bill “goes too far toward common ground.” She explained that a “minority of Democrats on the pro-choice side” object to a provision requiring that abortion providers offer women the voluntary option of receiving pre-abortion counseling to learn of the risks associated with abortion, Day said.
“The opposition may even extend to objecting to the bill’s providing pregnant women much-needed financial support,” she wrote.
According to Day, the proposed legislation would provide, among many other services, grants to colleges and universities to help pregnant students finish school. It would also increase support for food stamps for new parents and amend the tax code to increase the adoption tax credit.
Day reported that opponents’ biggest objection to PWSA was that “pregnancy-prevention measures” such as family planning services for the poor and “medically accurate” sex education programs about contraception are not funded by the bill. However, these services are already covered in the Prevention First Act.
“A lot of people don’t want the abortion debate to be settled because it keeps people in business,” Day said. “To actually solve this great problem, people don’t want to move in that direction. Or they want an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach. Some people just want to ban abortions, but don’t work towards reducing it.”
She added: “It’s the same on the other side. Any compromise goes too far.”
Day told CNA that to her knowledge President Obama has not personally been asked to support the PWSA.
“We’re talking to the administration on a regular basis and whenever we do we bring it up,” she explained. “We’re very hopeful that we can get the support of the White House. The indications are moving that way.”
Pro-life Democrats on the Hill are concentrating on building “bipartisan support” in the House especially, Day said.
“If you simply have a Democratic bill with only pro-choice Democrats on board, that’s not common ground,” Day said. “What we’ve built here is really a common ground proposal.”
“If we are serious about reducing abortion and helping actually end it we have to step in and look at the value of life,” she continued, saying the bill took into account measures which have successfully reduced the number of abortions.
For instance, one program included in the bill is a 1-800 number service where women can secure assistance. A similar program in Michigan helped reduce the abortion rate by 11 percent, she reported.
“The lower numbers we have, the better. Even if we cut the abortion rate in half, that is a lot of lives we’re saving.”
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