Hardball takes up common ground on abortion
As exasperating as it might be to watch Chris Matthews repeatedly cut off a guest, it was encouraging to see a common ground approach to abortion get a hearing on Hardball last night. William Saletan, who recently penned a New York Times op-ed on the subject, appeared alongside Family Research Council fellow Ken Blackwell to discuss the issue with Matthews, who described Saletan’s approach as finding “some common ground on the goal I think we deeply all share, of dramatically reducing the number of people who choose abortion.” Saletan focused principally on improving education on reproductive health, which is a part of the comprehensive approach including improving access to contraception, supporting pregnant women and families economically, widening access to pre- and post-natal health care and promoting adoption.
Money quote from Chris about the consequences of not finding a new course on abortion:
Here`s the question I put to you [Ken], ten years from now, if we are still on the air here, and you come back on and Will comes back on, we`ll have the same argument, and you will take the same position of abstinence and all this stuff, and there will be 10 million more abortions by then. And we will have the same discussion, while having accomplished nothing. That`s my concern. It`s gotten nowhere. Nowhere.
It’s nice to see the common ground approach securing a beachhead in MSM. Hopefully other shows start discussing abortion reduction too and include more diverse voices. With healthcare reform on the table, the conscience clause under review, and Kathleen Sebelius awaiting confirmation, there’s never been a better time!
Wow, cool to see the MSM pick up on this. Now if we can only get other reporters to quote Matthews saying this as much as they quote his “tingle up the leg” statement!
I think it’ll be a while before that one gets retired…
Congrats to Saletan for getting Mathews to pick up on something he’s been preaching for quicte some time. This is pretty huge.
but have these “scientific tests” proved that the fetus has a soul? and THAT is where the right to lifers are stepping on MY religious beliefs! i happen to believe the soul, like matter, CANNOT be destroyed, & that it is eternal. & you can’t terminate a life that never was. not until a soul attaches itself to a life can a fetus be called a “life.” with the amount of potential lives occurring every xxx seconds, there will NEVER be a shortage of fetuses for a soul to attach itself to.