Obama Reviews Abortion Rules

Why pro-choice advocates are tepid on the Freedom of Choice Act

(NEWSER) - President Obama has promised to pass a "Freedom of Choice Act" to ban abortion restrictions, yet hasn't lifted a finger; nor have pro-choice advocates raised a fuss. With Democrats in Congress and a liberal national mood, why not strike now? Because the controversy over partial-birth abortion settled the issue years ago, Jon A. Shields writes in The New Republic. More»

(NEWSER) - Catholics are pulling out all the stops to quash the Freedom of Choice Act, peppering Congress and the White House with postcards and letters. There’s just one problem: There is no Freedom of Choice Act. The bill has been introduced in years past, but it isn’t before Congress now, won’t be anytime soon, and wouldn’t pass if it were, Time reports. More»

President focuses on reducing unwanted pregnancies

(NEWSER) - President Obama is hoping a nuanced approach can soften the debate over one of the most contentious issues in America: abortion, writes Rob Stein in the Washington Post. Since taking office, Obama has lifted a Republican ban on funding international aid groups that provide abortion services, but also persuaded House Democrats to remove funding for contraceptives from the economic stimulus package. More»

But those who object to abortions can still opt out

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration today undid an eleventh-hour rule enacted by George W. Bush that gave health workers the option to refuse to perform a litany of procedures they objected to on moral, religious, or cultural grounds. Declaring the so-called "conscience" rule "unclear and potentially overbroad in scope," the administration trimmed it down to allowing workers to opt out of performing abortions and sterilizations, the Washington Post reports. More»

President's Notre Dame speech was radical and conservative: Dionne

(NEWSER) - Abortion opponents protested and pro-life students skipped, but Barack Obama's Notre Dame commencement address was at once "the most radical and the most conservative speech of his presidency," writes Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne. The president refused to indulge the protesters' desire to "reignite the culture wars," opting for humility and compromise—but he showed a comfort with the language of faith equal to George Bush. More»