Reducing Unintended Pregnancies: Reaching Common Ground
Reducing Unintended Pregnancies: Reaching Common Ground
I was the sixth of 12 kids growing up on a farm in Aurora. Faith and family have been important parts of my life, and as a Democrat I'm proud of that because both have taught me that we need to be responsible for ourselves - but we also need to look out for each other. That's what I think it means to be a Democrat.
Based on my faith, I am personally opposed to abortion. But I recognize that people who disagree with me on this issue hold equally strong convictions. Most importantly, however, I know we also share common ground: We all would like to see fewer women facing an unintended pregnancy. To reach this common ground, we must:
* Make a stronger commitment to family planning. I will restore the funding to Planned Parenthood and other agencies that Gov. Owens cut by executive order.
* Ensure better access to health care for all women, including birth control and emergency contraception. I would have signed the bill that was passed by the legislature but vetoed by Gov. Owens that would have given pharmacists the ability to provide EC without a doctor's prescription.
* Provide responsible sex education.
* Make a stronger effort to promote adoption as an alternative to abortion.
I strongly oppose any effort that would seek to criminalize women or their doctors over this issue. I would strongly oppose legislation similar to the one recently passed by the South Dakota legislature. As governor, I would enforce existing laws, including Roe v. Wade. It's not part of my agenda to change these laws: Improving education, health care and our economy - which will be the top priorities for my administration - will do more to improve the lives of children and reduce the number of abortions in our country than a divisive focus on punishing the women who find themselves turning to it as a solution.
It is these same beliefs and concerns that have made me an advocate of family planning and a strong supporter of government funding for agencies involved in family planning education, teen pregnancy prevention programs as well as responsible and age appropriate sex education in schools.
http://www.ritterforgovernor.com/issuesPR.cfm