Barack Obama, Democratic hopeful for the 2008 presidential campaign has many things going for him. He is smart, young, and offers a fresh face to a campaign filled with otherwise passé rhetoric and party line stances. However, there are some things about Obama that really worry me.
First of all I must admit up front that for myself personally I would not choose abortion as a means of birth control under any circumstances. That being said, however, I would never attempt to set myself up as a judge or choose to play God with the life of others. This was never so much addressed as when my daughter at the age of 20, a college student, came home and announced that she was pregnant. Obviously, I was disappointed that she had made some unwise decisions but we promised to support her in whatever decision she made regarding the pregnancy.
The decision was quickly made by her that she wanted to keep the baby. With that in mind we had her move back home and have supported her not only throughout the pregnancy but also for the 8 years since my grandson’s birth. Has it been difficult? Yes, in some ways it has been really hard but I am so proud of my daughter. She has managed to land a management job, despite her lack of a degree and proven herself tough beyond measure.
My grandson is not perfect but he is the apple of my eye. He is a bright, funny, and most of the time thoughtful child that has provided endless hours of delight to all of those who meet him. Do I regret his birth? Only in the abstract way that would have allowed my daughter to finish college, get married first, and then give birth but otherwise no not at all.
That brings me back to Obama. When the Congress/Senate voted on the ban on partial birth abortions he was one of only five senators who voted against the measure. Again I repeat that I will not sit as judge of others but women have 5 months before a baby is viable. If they cannot decide that they cannot deal with a pregnancy within that time frame, shame on them.
Further, Obama has stated that a fetus that is born alive should be left unattended to die as the mother intended. I am adamantly opposed to this stance as a living human being deserves a chance at life. Killing a premature baby is no different than euthanasia where a sick or elderly human being in denied medical care. They feel pain, hunger, and thirst and it is no different than murder to deny them the needed care. For this alone I have withdrawn my support for Obama. It is one thing to be pro-choice and quite another to sanction murder.
