Jimmy Carter, pro-life activist?

[Jacob]

Former President Carter spoke up about how he'd like to see the Democratic party drop their pro-abortion stance on the radio today. That will not happen anytime soon as the the Democrats are much more radical in their pro-choice politics than republicans are in their pro-life politics, IMO.

"I’ve signed a public letter calling for the Democratic Party at the next convention to espouse my position on abortion which is to minimize the need, requirement for abortion and limit it only to women whose life are in danger or who are pregnant as a result of rape or incest. I think if the Democratic Party would adopt that policy that would be acceptable to a lot of people who are now estranged from our party because of the abortion issue.”


“I never have believed that Jesus Christ would approve of abortions and that was one of the problems I had when I was president having to uphold Roe v. Wade and I did everything I could to minimize the need for abortions. I made it easy to adopt children for instance who were unwanted and also initiated the program called Women and Infant Children or WIC program that’s still in existence now. But except for the times when a mother’s life is in danger or when a pregnancy is caused by rape or incest I would certainly not or never have approved of any abortions.”

[Eddie]

I like it. A lot.

I've never been a fan of Jimmy Carter. I was brought up to view him as a very kind-hearted man who was also a bit of a bumbling fool who never should've been president.

Not saying that's who he is. But as a kid growing up with him as president, those were my impressions.

But this impresses me and I think shows a lot of courage. I think there are planks in each party's platform that are extreme positions. And I think it would do BOTH parties some good to soften their stance on them. This is a great example.

Honestly - if the Democratic party took this stance on abortion, I wonder how many LDS folks would move that direction. Heck, if Jimmy even started to get some traction and support for his position and it picked up some steam I could see a number of folks migrating and joining him in it before the party made any official move.

The Republican party needs someone with some pull to have the guts to stand up and make similar suggestions about some of the extreme positions in the their party.

[Flystripper]

Former President Carter spoke up about how he'd like to see the Democratic party drop their pro-abortion stance on the radio today. That will not happen anytime soon as the the Democrats are much more radical in their pro-choice politics than republicans are in their pro-life politics, IMO.

I like what Carter has to say but I don't know if I agree with that statement. Democrats don't blow up abortion clinics.

Don't get me wrong. There are segments of democrats that can be extreme as well, but I don't know if the republicans win the I am less extreme than you argument. I am not even a democrat, but I can see how a very vocal segment of the pro lifers are extreme.

[pellegrino]

I applaud this. As a Democrat who is categorically opposed to abortion as birth control, I think the party would do better to put their focus on emphasizing sex education and making birth control more easily available. I think there are indeed many who oppose the democratic party simply because of their position on abortion. I see no social benefit to allowing abortions on demand, even in the first trimester. There are much more humane ways to prevent an unwanted pregnancy

[Commando]

Hmm. I don't affiliate with either party, am a registered Independent, and skew conservative. Yet I could probably be a Democrat if it wasn't for the whole abortion thing being cast as pro-Choice.

[Pelado]

I like what Carter has to say but I don't know if I agree with that statement. Democrats don't blow up abortion clinics.

Blowing up abortion clinics is a big plank on the Republican Party platform.

[ERCougar]

I think most of you (outside the medical field) would be really surprised to see just how common abortions are. They run across all demographics and are hardly limited to the poor single mom who can't make ends meet.

For many, many women, abortion rights are not a hypothetical. This will never gain any traction.

[Jacob]

I think most of you (outside the medical field) would be really surprised to see just how common abortions are. They run across all demographics and are hardly limited to the poor single mom who can't make ends meet.

For many, many women, abortion rights are not a hypothetical. This will never gain any traction.

I would be surprised. Everything I've read says that the rates are highest among the poor and minorities. You'll find a critical mass of whites getting abortions in densely populated liberal cities.

From a recent study:

Non-Hispanic white women accounted for 36% of abortions, non-Hispanic black women for 30%, Hispanic women for 25% and non-Hispanic women of other races for 9%.

The overwhelming majority of women having abortions (85%) were unmarried, including 29%who were cohabiting. Among never-married women obtaining abortions, almost one-half had
been in a relationship for a year or longer with the man who had made them pregnant.

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/US-Abortion-Patients.pdf

None of this is surprising and seems to contradict your point, unless I've missed it.

And as to your final comment, the fact is that women are split on the pro life issue, but a majority aren't as extreme as the democratic platform (or maybe the republican platform for that matter) i.e. they don't all want the federal government throwing money at abortions, they don't think partial birth abortion should be legal, etc. I agree that the majority are not going to line up with JIimmy Carter's pro-life beliefs--which line up with the LDS position--but the majority have no problem with the reasonable restrictions republicans try to pass (which democrats fight to the death) e.g. parental notification, spousal notification, short waiting period, education about options like adoption, banning of partial birth abortions.

[ERCougar]

I would be surprised. Everything I've read says that the rates are highest among the poor and minorities. You'll find a critical mass of whites getting abortions in densely populated liberal cities.

From a recent study:


None of this is surprising and seems to contradict your point, unless I've missed it.

And as to your final comment, the fact is that women are split on the pro life issue, but a majority aren't as extreme as the democratic platform (or maybe the republican platform for that matter) i.e. they don't all want the federal government throwing money at abortions, they don't think partial birth abortion should be legal, etc. I agree that the majority are not going to line up with JIimmy Carter's pro-life beliefs--which line up with the LDS position--but the majority have no problem with the reasonable restrictions republicans try to pass (which democrats fight to the death) e.g. parental notification, spousal notification, short waiting period, education about options like adoption, banning of partial birth abortions.

Well, my experience is anecdotal, so I'll believe your study, but I am continually surprised at upper and middle class women I've seen who have had abortions. I didn't mean to imply that it runs equally across all demographics.

Also, I'd guess that the prevalence of women who have had abortions (and no, I don't have numbers on this) is higher than most on here would guess. I still see a surprising number who have had them in rural Utah, and the frequency was much higher in Michigan.

[smokymountainrain]

Democrats don't blow up abortion clinics.

Considering they are pro-"choice" why would they, even if they were so crazy?

[frank ryan]

Barry Goldwater was pro-choice

[Paperback Writer]

And as to your final comment, the fact is that women are split on the pro life issue, but a majority aren't as extreme as the democratic platform (or maybe the republican platform for that matter) i.e. they don't all want the federal government throwing money at abortions, they don't think partial birth abortion should be legal, etc. I agree that the majority are not going to line up with JIimmy Carter's pro-life beliefs--which line up with the LDS position--but the majority have no problem with the reasonable restrictions republicans try to pass (which democrats fight to the death) e.g. parental notification, spousal notification, short waiting period, education about options like adoption, banning of partial birth abortions.

I question that the majority [of women] have no problem with reasonable restrictions... I think a lot depends on a female's life situation or stage [for lack of a better term]. A single female probably has a problem with waiting periods, mandated education, and other measures. The same female may have a different view once she is married and is a mother. And I don't see many of these restrictions as "reasonable" besides partial birth abortions. The restrictions are a way for one side to impose their moral view on the other.

[Paperback Writer]

I applaud this. As a Democrat who is categorically opposed to abortion as birth control, I think the party would do better to put their focus on emphasizing sex education and making birth control more easily available. I think there are indeed many who oppose the democratic party simply because of their position on abortion. I see no social benefit to allowing abortions on demand, even in the first trimester. There are much more humane ways to prevent an unwanted pregnancy

Agree on the importance of sex education and the availability of birth control. But even if improvement are made in these areas, unwanted pregnancies will continue to occur (as you well know). It will just be the magnitude that will diminish. As far as the social benefit to abortions on demand, I think there is a significant social cost to it as well. Primarily, the health detriments of returning to back alley abortions and of single, low-income mothers having unwanted children.

[Sleeping in EQ]

I have tons of respect for Jimmy Carter. My views are close to his on many, many topics.

[Jacob]

I question that the majority [of women] have no problem with reasonable restrictions... I think a lot depends on a female's life situation or stage [for lack of a better term]. A single female probably has a problem with waiting periods, mandated education, and other measures. The same female may have a different view once she is married and is a mother. And I don't see many of these restrictions as "reasonable" besides partial birth abortions. The restrictions are a way for one side to impose their moral view on the other.

You'll be surprised if you look at polls on the subject. It sounds like you would also be surprised to learn that men's and wormen's views on the different points of this subject matter don't differ much. There is no gender gap. Which is contrary to your narrative that women think about these things differently than men.