Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America launched the first in its series of web videos that shows America just how extreme and radical the McCain-Palin ticket is when it comes to abortion, Roe v. Wade, and a woman's right to choose. And best of all, we have them saying what they believe in their own words -- no spin, no re-interpretation of what they said -- just the real McCain and Palin.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've read a few of the blog posts from people who decry the fact that abortion has become a major issue in this campaign. They worry that the Democrats -- specifically the Democrat named Barack Obama -- are going to lose their races by talking about respecting and defending Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to freedom and privacy.
Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but abortion is an important issue for millions of women in America and it's an issue that is always used in campaigns -- whether it's a campaign for city council, judge, state legislator, governor, or yes, even President and Vice President of the United States. So, NARAL Pro-Choice America is going to continue speaking up and speaking out about abortion, age-appropriate medically-accurate sex education, about making birth control more affordable, and about making sure rape survivors have access to emergency contraception in the emergency rooms...and a whole host of other issues that involve women's reproductive rights.
Why? Because exposing the records of the most extreme, out-of-touch, radical candidates for President and Vice President that this country has ever seen (and I'm not being hyperbolic here...literally the most anti-choice ticket in history) lets voters know where they stand on issues of choice and reproductive freedom. The anti-choice extremism of McCain-Palin creates a clearer picture for voters on a variety of issues that seem to have nothing, but in fact, have everything to do with a woman's right to choose safe, legal abortion.
Are you worried about which ticket will do a better job in lifting the economy and low-income families out of this downward spiral of higher gas prices, increased food costs, home foreclosures, and no health care? Well, look no further than the federal Title X program or the Alaska state funding for a home for teenage unwed mothers (which Sarah Palin cut funding for in her line-item budget). John McCain voted to eliminate the entire Title X program that provides low-income women with birth control and cancer screenings [Weicker motion to table Helms amendment to FY'89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 7/25/88; motion to invoke cloture on Family Planning Amendments Act, S.110, 9/26/90.]. So, low-income women who are struggling to get ahead, who can't afford to get pregnant at this time in their lives, who have no health insurance and therefore, can't get cancer screenings anywhere else; women who may be trying to go to school to find a better job, to get out of debt, to provide for their family...where are they supposed to go under a McCain-Palin administration? Back to the streets where they belong in John and Sarah's world.
Are you worried that your health insurance premiums are sky-rocketing and more often than not, your claims are denied? Look no further than insurance equity. John McCain has voted twice against requiring insurance companies who cover Viagra to also cover birth control [Clinton/Reid amendment to FY'06 Budget Resolution, S.Con.Res.18, 3/17/05.]. So, when it comes to health insurance, John McCain and Sarah Palin would say that American women have no right to have their prescriptions covered in the same way that men do. That's how they roll, in John and Sarah's world.
And, are you worried about the invasion of personal privacy that the Bush administration has undertaken in the most brazen of ways: wire taps, warrant-less search and seizure, outing CIA operatives, unlimited detentions...injecting themselves into every aspect of our lives? Then finally draw the line between abortion and the loss of privacy rights in this country. These are the same politicians who want to step into your bedrooms and tell you whether or not you can use contraception, whether or not public schools can teach teens how to be safe and prevent disease with real sex education, whether or not your emergency room physician gives you emergency contraception if, God forbid, you find yourself a victim of rape; and yes, whether or not you can have an abortion. John McCain and Sarah Palin both believe that they, as politicians with fully anti-choice voting records and actions in their political careers, have the right to make those decisions for you. They want politicians to decide for you and your family about the most personal, private decision some families ever have to make. That's how it is in John and Sarah's world.
Please take a moment to watch this video.
Watch it and then tell your friends: It's about more than just a woman's right to choose. A woman's right to choose is a very good indicator of the kind of politicians John McCain and Sarah Palin really are.