Washington D.C., Jul 8, 2008 / 17:09 pm
The Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) has launched a campaign called “Barack Obama: The Abortion President” highlighting what it says is Sen. Barack Obama’s position that taxpayers should fund abortions.
The Christian Defense Coalition claims that last year, according to the Chicago Tribune, Obama said his proposal for expanded access to health insurance would cover “reproductive health services.” An Obama spokesperson contacted afterward said that would include abortions.
The Obama campaign’s web site says the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee “has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President.”
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, in a press release criticized Obama’s position, saying, "Senator Obama talks about bringing hope, faith and change to American politics. We now see this is all just political 'doublespeak.' One of his top priorities as President would be protecting abortion rights and even expanding them. If elected, Senator Obama would become 'The Abortion President,' with the most extremist policies on abortion of any President in history.”
"Senator Obama's views on abortion are so radical that he even wants American citizens to pay for them… This is not a candidate who is concerned about social justice, hope and equality,” Mahoney argued.
“Rather, this is candidate who will continue the violence and pain of abortion and refuse to end this tragic war against America's women and children.”
Kaitlin Clare, Program Director at Christian Defense Coalition, told CNA that awareness of Obama’s abortion record is “slim to none” among most people.
She recounted to CNA the reactions she observed to a CDC campaign display at the Creation Christian Music Festival, where about 70,000 people were in attendance. She estimated between 70 and 90 percent of the attendees had no idea of Obama’s abortion position and some even thought he was pro-life.
Ignorance about Obama’s position, she explained, is “a really huge issue.” She suggested this situation was possibly purposefully cultivated by the Obama campaign.
Reaction to the “Barack Obama: the Abortion President” campaign has been mixed, Clare said. “If you’re pro-life everybody is really excited about it,” she said, while those supportive of Obama are “obviously enraged” by the effort.
She related one incident in which a man standing near her shouted obscenities and made obscene gestures while the campaign was being launched on Tuesday in front of Obama’s Washington D.C. office.
Clare said the Christian Defense Coalition would address other issues on which Obama’s stands are questionable, but stated the CDC’s main focus is on his abortion record because “it is such a big deal and because people don’t know anything about it.”